Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 278,558 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 42.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 376,385 shares of the company's stock after selling 278,558 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.07% of Xcel Energy worth $25,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Wealth Management grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company's stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 lifted their price target 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp increased 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

XEL stock traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.93. The company had a trading volume of 3,110,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,307,183. The company has a market capitalization of $39.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.