Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,613,239 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,422,483 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 3.07% of Xcel Energy worth $1,189,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after acquiring an additional 953,002 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,445,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323,448 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company's stock worth $1,302,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,194 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,178,956 shares of the company's stock worth $1,029,223,000 after purchasing an additional 616,853 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,573,894 shares of the company's stock worth $443,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090,208 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.
Xcel Energy Trading Down 5.9 %
NASDAQ:XEL traded down $4.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $67.89. 5,680,733 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,577,870. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's fifty day moving average is $68.93 and its 200-day moving average is $67.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $74.31. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 66.28%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms have recently commented on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Xcel Energy
Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy
In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
About Xcel Energy
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Free Report)
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.
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