Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp trimmed its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,385 shares during the period. NextEra Energy comprises 2.1% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $4,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NEE. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 299,215 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,293,000 after purchasing an additional 5,409 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc bought a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,624,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $235,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 15,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NEE opened at $70.51 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $70.33 and its 200 day moving average is $76.16. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.26 and a 1 year high of $86.10. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

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, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. On average, research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.5665 dividend. 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. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,867,504.43. This trade represents a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.