Janus Henderson Group PLC Acquires 777,696 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1,265.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 839,146 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 777,696 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.15% of Xcel Energy worth $54,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 120.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company's stock worth $127,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,025 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 130.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,325,000 after buying an additional 1,179,823 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company's stock worth $991,956,000 after acquiring an additional 892,740 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 725.1% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 907,030 shares of the company's stock worth $48,444,000 after acquiring an additional 797,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 89.4% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,534,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,478,000 after acquiring an additional 724,558 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.6 %

XEL stock traded down $1.12 on Friday, reaching $69.74. 3,431,754 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,123,851. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.76. The company has a market cap of $40.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year 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.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.00.

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.