Vestcor Inc Sells 6,167 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Vestcor Inc reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 62,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,167 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,091,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 247,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,194,000 after acquiring an additional 28,508 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $613,000. Finally, Dean Investment Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 130,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,526,000 after acquiring an additional 37,930 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $73.38. 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) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy 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.