NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Trading Up 7% on Earnings Beat
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemShares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE – Get Free Report) traded up 7% during trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $96.13 and last traded at $96.3060. 6,723,955 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 29% from the average session volume of 9,481,523 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.00.
The utilities provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 24.93% and a return on equity of 12.18%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. NextEra Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.02 EPS.
NextEra Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.6232 dividend. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is presently 75.68%.
Key Stories Impacting NextEra Energy
Here are the key news stories impacting NextEra Energy this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat — NextEra reported $1.09 adjusted EPS, topping consensus and prior-year EPS, a key catalyst supporting the rally. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Renewables backlog & guidance confirmation — Company cited a ~33 GW renewables backlog and reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance (3.92–4.02), supporting growth narrative for its regulated and renewables businesses. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price-target lift — BMO raised its price target to $99 and kept an “outperform” rating, providing direct analyst support for the shares. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Revenue miss — Q1 revenue was $6.70B versus consensus near $7.43B, a negative on topline execution even as margins stayed solid; investors will watch future revenue drivers. Press Release
- Neutral Sentiment: Guidance roughly in line but not a clear beat — FY2026 EPS range (3.92–4.02) sits near street estimates (consensus ~4.01); this reduces upside surprise potential for the rest of the year. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Company posted Q1 results and slide deck on its site — useful for investors who want details from management and the conference call. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Policy/regulatory risk — The House passed H.R.4690 (Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act) which would relax certain federal building energy efficiency standards; if enacted, this could blunt some demand dynamics for clean-energy deployment and is a policy risk to watch. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Some analyst downgrades/price-target trims — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target recently, underscoring differing analyst views and potential volatility from revisions. Article Title
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have recently commented on NEE. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $96.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NextEra Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.67.
Check Out Our Latest Report on NextEra Energy
Insider Buying and Selling
In other NextEra Energy news, Treasurer James Michael May sold 7,161 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.27, for a total value of $646,423.47. Following the transaction, the treasurer directly owned 26,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,411,924.13. This trade represents a 21.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 30,000 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $2,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 167,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,073,290. This trade represents a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 179,990 shares of company stock valued at $16,155,409. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NEE. Garrison Point Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Garrison Point Advisors LLC now owns 28,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,269,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 14,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 2,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Certified Advisory Corp increased its holdings in NextEra Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,096 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company’s stock.
NextEra Energy Stock Up 7.0%
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $200.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.65.
About NextEra Energy
NextEra Energy, Inc (NYSE: NEE), headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is a leading clean energy company with both regulated utility operations and competitive renewable generation businesses. The company’s principal operating subsidiaries include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility serving customers in Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, which develops, constructs, owns and operates a large portfolio of wind, solar and energy storage projects. Together these businesses provide electricity supply, transmission and distribution services as well as utility-scale renewable generation and related services.
NextEra’s activities cover the full lifecycle of power assets, from project development and construction to operation, maintenance and asset optimization.