Warwick Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of XEL. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $635,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 100.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 4,270 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 6,899 shares of the company's stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 1,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 196.1% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,879,000 after buying an additional 19,054 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.9 %
Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.73 on Wednesday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.76 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $67.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.63. The firm has a market cap of $39.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms recently commented on XEL. KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $71.10.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on XEL
About Xcel Energy
(
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
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
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
Need to stretch out your 401K or Roth IRA plan? Use these time-tested investing strategies to grow the monthly retirement income that your stock portfolio generates.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
