NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lowered its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,529 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $9,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% in the fourth quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 2,482.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 1.3 %

NEE stock opened at $73.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $150.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.95. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.88 and a fifty-two 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.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NEE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Scotiabank increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.92.

Insider Activity

In other NextEra Energy news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total value of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. This represents a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.