Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,039,638 shares of the company's stock after selling 881,515 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.88% of Xcel Energy worth $340,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock worth $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company's stock worth $1,189,246,000 after buying an additional 2,422,483 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,653,000. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 440.2% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,304,000 after buying an additional 1,186,427 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.3 %
Shares of XEL stock traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $70.45. 486,778 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,593,150. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The stock has a market cap of $40.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. 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's fifty day moving average is $69.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.66.
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on XEL
Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy
In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
About Xcel Energy
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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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