Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 297,450 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Baillie Gifford & Co. lessened its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 93.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 21,348 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 297,450 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $1,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% during the 4th quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NEE stock opened at $68.37 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $140.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.77. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.95 and a 1-year high of $86.10.

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

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.5665 dividend. This is a positive change from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $99.00 to $90.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.85.

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.