NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Stake Trimmed by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,529 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $9,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% in the 4th 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 stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NEE. Scotiabank increased their price objective on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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 increased their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.92.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In related news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total value of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. This represents a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NEE opened at $73.03 on Thursday. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.88 and a fifty-two week high of $86.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.95.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. On average, equities research analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.

About NextEra Energy

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.