Clarius Group LLC Sells 248 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Clarius Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,740 shares of the company’s stock after selling 248 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 5,213 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $256,000. Finally, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 19,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.72 on Monday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $68.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.58. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.67.

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.