Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 212,765 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,811 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $14,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after acquiring an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after buying an additional 3,905 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.72 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $68.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.27. The company has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 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.