Brown Financial Advisors Cuts Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Brown Financial Advisors reduced its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,913 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,157 shares during the period. Brown Financial Advisors’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.78 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The stock has a market cap of $40.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp increased 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. Barclays reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

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.