Commerce Bank Has $11.36 Million Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Commerce Bank trimmed its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 168,242 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,741 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $11,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 12.0% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the company's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $1,124,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted 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 valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $532,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded up $2.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.39. 5,161,790 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,600,278. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.88. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $41.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.