Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,958,134 shares of the company's stock after selling 92,572 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.34% of Xcel Energy worth $132,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 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 acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy Stock Performance
NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $69.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,673,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,592,789. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.57. The stock has a market cap of $39.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
About Xcel Energy
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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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