First American Trust FSB Increases Stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

First American Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,684 shares during the period. NextEra Energy makes up about 1.3% of First American Trust FSB’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $12,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Burkett Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% during the fourth quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

NEE stock opened at $70.02 on Tuesday. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.30 and a 52 week high of $86.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58.

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

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. This is a positive change from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. The trade was a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NEE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $89.00 price objective on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.92.

NextEra Energy 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.