PFG Advisors bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $349,000.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.10.
Read Our Latest Report on Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy Price Performance
NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.50 on Monday, hitting $70.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,258,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,650,453. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.75 and a 200-day moving average of $66.80. The company has a market capitalization of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The business 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. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy
In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Xcel Energy Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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