Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 153.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 118,653 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,798 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $8,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 185.2% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 22,701 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,463 shares of the company's stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 4,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 63,142 shares of the company's stock worth $4,123,000 after buying an additional 2,490 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine 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 $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.94. 2,379,381 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,399,202. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $40.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.54.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

About Xcel Energy

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.