Strong Tower Advisory Services Has $2.23 Million Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Strong Tower Advisory Services increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,089 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,374 shares during the quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.72 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.41 and a 200-day moving average of $63.58. The firm has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

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.