Forsta AP Fonden Boosts Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 204,700 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,100 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $13,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during 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 last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $66.49. 693,932 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,416,942. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.35. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $38.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Xcel Energy's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays cut 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, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.50.

About Xcel Energy

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.