NextEra Energy has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from 20 research firms covering the company. Thirteen analysts have issued buy ratings, four have assigned hold ratings and three have given strong buy ratings. Over the past quarter, JPMorgan Chase raised its target from $94.00 to $97.00 with an overweight rating, Barclays lifted its objective from $84.00 to $85.00 with an equal-weight rating, HSBC increased its target from $94.00 to $95.00, New Street Research maintained a $84.00 target, and Cowen initiated coverage with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target across all brokers stands at $91.50.

In its latest quarterly report NextEra Energy reported earnings per share of $1.13, beating analyst consensus by $0.09. Revenue for the quarter totaled $7.97 billion, slightly below estimates of $8.13 billion, but represented a 5.3% increase over the prior year. Return on equity reached 12.42% while net margin was 24.72%. Analysts project full-year EPS of $3.68, reflecting ongoing strength in the company’s regulated utility operations and growth in its competitive renewable generation business.

The company declared and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.5665 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.27 and a dividend yield of approximately 2.7%. With a dividend payout ratio of 72.3%, NextEra Energy continues to balance shareholder returns with capital requirements for large-scale wind, solar and energy storage developments.

Recent filings show CEO Armando Pimentel, Jr. sold 145,140 shares in mid-November, reducing his holding by 47.2%. Insiders now hold 0.20% of shares outstanding. On the institutional front, Synergy Asset Management increased its stake by 286.0% in Q3, acquiring an additional 16,322 shares. Daymark Wealth Partners, Hunter Perkins Capital, Dillon & Associates and Soltis Investment Advisors each reported position increases of between 6.5% and 171.1% over the past two quarters. Institutional investors collectively own 78.7% of the company’s shares.