Decade Renewable Partners LP Acquires Shares of 100,700 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Decade Renewable Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 100,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,799,000. Xcel Energy comprises 3.3% of Decade Renewable Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,467,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,574,902. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38. 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 company has a market capitalization of $40.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $69.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.18.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on XEL. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.