Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,298,016 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,907,516 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 2.57% of Xcel Energy worth $763,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $64.50. 3,494,296 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,266,734. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.65. The firm has a market cap of $35.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $64.95.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The firm's revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

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.