USA Financial Formulas Takes $2.37 Million Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 35,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,367,000. Xcel Energy makes up approximately 0.4% of USA Financial Formulas' holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,285,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 19,202 shares of the company's stock worth $1,297,000 after acquiring an additional 6,219 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,433,000. Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $64.94 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $37.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Xcel Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.67.

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.

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