Barclays PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 84.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,332,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,069,214 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.41% of Xcel Energy worth $157,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,984 shares of the company's stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 82,826 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,910,000 after purchasing an additional 18,489 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $1,124,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,795 shares of the company's stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 873 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock traded up $1.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $70.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,784,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,587,282. The company has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.76.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.