Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,371,098 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,655 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.25% of Xcel Energy worth $89,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 643,986 shares of the company's stock worth $34,614,000 after purchasing an additional 121,118 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 91.6% in the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 190,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,245,000 after acquiring an additional 91,100 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 8,790 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 165.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 107,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,770,000 after acquiring an additional 66,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.2% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 622,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,485,000 after acquiring an additional 25,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $66.49. 5,039,597 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,214,310. The company has a market cap of $38.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $68.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $63.92 and a 200 day moving average of $58.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on XEL. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note 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 company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.38.

Xcel Energy 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.