Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC Takes Position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 60,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,413,000. NRG Energy accounts for about 2.1% of Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 100.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total transaction of $5,484,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total transaction of $1,952,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares in the company, valued at $6,780,794.02. This represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NYSE NRG opened at $92.40 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.30. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.14 and a 1 year high of $117.26.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $93.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of NRG Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $74.00 to $126.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.29.

NRG Energy Profile

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.