Gradient Investments LLC Buys 21,987 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE

Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 425,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,987 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $29,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 171,258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,889,000 after purchasing an additional 3,287 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC now owns 18,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares during the period. Fox Hill Wealth Management boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fox Hill Wealth Management now owns 20,910 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,789,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 330,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $22,968,000 after purchasing an additional 12,255 shares during the period. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NextEra Energy stock opened at $71.66 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.07. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.72 and a 12-month high of $86.10.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.52 billion. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 12.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. Research analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Melius assumed coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total transaction of $168,717.50. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares in the company, valued at $2,143,805. This trade represents a 7.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.84, for a total transaction of $538,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 26,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,906,561.76. This trade represents a 22.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,677 shares of company stock worth $1,415,418 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.