NextEra Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:NEE)

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 35,758 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 49% compared to the typical volume of 23,982 call options.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

NYSE NEE opened at $70.14 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $62.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.50. NextEra Energy has a 1-year low of $47.15 and a 1-year high of $78.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.11. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 11.72%. The business had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that NextEra Energy will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 26th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is currently 56.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on NEE. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Bank of America lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.50.

Institutional Trading of NextEra Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Investment Research LLC grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 387.2% during the fourth quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 74.5% during the first quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 59.8% during the third quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 556 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 315.4% during the fourth quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.