Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases 20,324 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 142.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,324 shares during the quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $5,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 2.0% in the second quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 3,384 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 6.2% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 3.0% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 32.1% during the second quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NYSE NRG opened at $160.16 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $167.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.89. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.57 and a 52 week high of $180.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94 and a beta of 1.26.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 103.57%. The company had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 26.31%.

NRG Energy announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NRG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $308.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $212.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.21.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.82, for a total value of $3,276,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 43,191 shares in the company, valued at $7,075,549.62. This represents a 31.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.