Headlands Technologies LLC Grows Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,432 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,833 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.92.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $63.84 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $35.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.33. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $64.25.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

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.