Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,831,988 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 953,002 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.86% of Xcel Energy worth $4,985,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of 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 price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.30.
View Our Latest Analysis on XEL
Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy
In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought 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 $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
Xcel Energy Stock Performance
Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $69.27. 813,298 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,296,449. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.16. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $39.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38.
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.
Xcel Energy Profile
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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.
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