Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,311,697 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 82,790 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.23% of Xcel Energy worth $88,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock worth $3,470,000 after acquiring an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company's stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.57 on Monday, hitting $69.57. The company had a trading volume of 2,969,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,589,538. 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 company has a market capitalization of $40.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company's fifty day moving average price is $69.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.10.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict 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 was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 dividend yield of 3.28%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.