Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Purchases 10,530 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 67.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,143 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,530 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 21.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 61,167 shares of the company's stock worth $3,267,000 after buying an additional 10,851 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 83.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,103,809 shares of the company's stock worth $58,954,000 after purchasing an additional 502,231 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 85.0% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,116,000 after purchasing an additional 106,326 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 112.7% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 31,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,697,000 after purchasing an additional 16,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 64.4% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company's stock worth $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10,821 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL stock traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $68.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,012,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,105,694. The firm's 50-day moving average is $67.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.14. The company has a market cap of $39.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Barclays raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. KeyCorp upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Argus raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.00.

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.