Trexquant Investment LP Decreases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Trexquant Investment LP decreased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 51.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 148,046 shares of the company's stock after selling 158,525 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,996,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth 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 acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded down $4.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,680,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,564,148. The business's fifty day moving average price is $68.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.45. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $74.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $39.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

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Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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 is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.