Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 45.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 181,495 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,528 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $12,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company's stock worth $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 64.4% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company's stock worth $1,805,000 after buying an additional 10,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. 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 research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.98 on Friday, reaching $69.11. 6,689,184 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,308,396. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.58 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.05. The stock has a market cap of $39.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.