PFG Advisors Buys Shares of 5,172 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

PFG Advisors bought a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $349,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on XEL. Barclays cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.10.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of XEL traded up $1.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.75. The company had a trading volume of 4,170,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,700,123. The firm has a market cap of $40.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $67.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.75. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.37 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

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.