Cohen & Steers Inc. Makes New Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Cohen & Steers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 685,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,298,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned 0.12% of Xcel Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Virtu Financial LLC boosted 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 worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.6% during the third quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $5,910,000 after purchasing an additional 18,489 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $1,124,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,795 shares of the company's stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $70.13. 2,784,548 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,587,282. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.97 and a one year high of $73.38. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $69.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.76.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on XEL. UBS Group upped 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Company 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.