Swiss National Bank Reduces Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Swiss National Bank trimmed its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,574,900 shares of the company's stock after selling 74,200 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.27% of Xcel Energy worth $106,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Burkehill Global Management LP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,520,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 34,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,359,000 after buying an additional 4,264 shares during the last quarter. Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,358,000. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 234,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,812,000 after purchasing an additional 10,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,242 shares of the company's stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Barclays cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.10.

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Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ XEL traded up $1.08 on Friday, hitting $69.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,170,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,700,123. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.37 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $67.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.75. The firm has a market cap of $40.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released 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 predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given 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 a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

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.