NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Shares Sold by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 727 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Second Line Capital LLC grew its position in NextEra Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its position in NextEra Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Accel Wealth Management grew its position in NextEra Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 8,615 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company grew its position in NextEra Energy by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 15,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,101,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1ST Source Bank grew its position in NextEra Energy by 0.4% in the third quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 34,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,889,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

NextEra Energy stock opened at $70.51 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.26 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The stock has a market cap of $145.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Insider Activity at NextEra Energy

In related news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total value of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. The trade was a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $99.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NextEra Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.85.

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.