Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Buys 13,763 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 49.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,397 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,763 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased 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 $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. 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 note on Thursday. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $68.86. 3,156,853 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,307,789. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.08. 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 firm has a market cap of $39.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Xcel Energy's 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.