Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,927 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,357 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.10.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $70.24 on Thursday. 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 one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $73.38. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

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.