Meeder Asset Management Inc. Sells 26,597 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 89.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,005 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,597 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after purchasing an additional 953,002 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,477,000 after buying an additional 2,323,448 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,302,538,000 after buying an additional 1,022,194 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $952,091,000 after acquiring an additional 262,191 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,573,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,869,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090,208 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.60.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.79 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $40.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $68.67 and its 200 day moving average is $67.32. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy 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.