Rhumbline Advisers Grows Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 976,144 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,299 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.17% of Xcel Energy worth $65,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 20,126 shares of the company's stock worth $1,359,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 302,728 shares of the company's stock worth $20,440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,619 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 237,789 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,203,000 after buying an additional 7,852 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 3,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 5,221 shares of the company's stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of XEL stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $69.32. 1,878,416 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,430,106. The company's 50-day moving average price is $67.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.52. The company has a market cap of $39.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.43. 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 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month 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 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.91.

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.