Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Purchases 3,647 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,975 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,647 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded down $0.20 on Monday, hitting $71.90. 5,015,437 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,571,463. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $67.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.16. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on XEL shares. Barclays lowered their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.91.

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.