Guggenheim Capital LLC Increases Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 231,929 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,832 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $15,660,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Virtu Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.0% in 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. grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.6% during the 3rd 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 period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,124,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at about $532,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded up $1.03 on Friday, reaching $70.13. The stock had a trading volume of 2,784,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,589,283. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $40.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.80. 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 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.