Meeder Asset Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 89.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,005 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,597 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company's stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $301,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,433,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock traded up $1.24 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.14. The company had a trading volume of 3,572,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,571,686. The company has a market cap of $41.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.39.

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Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

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.