Verity & Verity LLC Raises Stock Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Verity & Verity LLC grew its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 184,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares during the period. NextEra Energy makes up 1.5% of Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $15,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NEE. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 64.0% in the 2nd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in NextEra Energy by 197.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 4,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.57, for a total transaction of $302,808.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,193,401.44. This trade represents a 20.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NEE stock opened at $76.39 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $157.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.57. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $81.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.60.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.94% and a net margin of 26.49%. The business had revenue of $7.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on NEE. Barclays upped their price objective on NextEra Energy from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NextEra Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.54.

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.