Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,013 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,230 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $12,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,283,000 after acquiring an additional 22,701 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 286,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,725,000 after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 37.6% in the third quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 14.4% in the third quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 8,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 1,042 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at about $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.8 %
Shares of XEL stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $69.07. 2,424,712 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,475,886. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business's fifty day moving average is $67.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.49.
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 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.91.
Read Our Latest Analysis on XEL
Xcel Energy Company Profile
(
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.
Read More
Before you consider Xcel Energy, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Xcel Energy wasn't on the list.
While Xcel Energy currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
