Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Position Trimmed by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lowered its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 187,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,378 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $12,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.0% during 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 last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. ING Groep NV raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 85.0% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company's stock worth $15,116,000 after purchasing an additional 106,326 shares during the period. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.19 during trading on Monday, reaching $66.41. 1,129,548 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,560,494. The business's 50-day moving average price is $67.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.01. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $38.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.91.

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.