BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Increases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 77.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,646 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,674 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,191,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,916,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,423,000 after purchasing an additional 80,744 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 107.1% during the 4th quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 656,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,347,000 after acquiring an additional 339,680 shares in the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 138,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,338,000 after acquiring an additional 7,723 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. Finally, Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $519,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $71.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.47 and a 200 day moving average of $67.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.10.

About Xcel Energy

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.

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