AQR Capital Management LLC Has $154.29 Million Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

AQR Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,285,146 shares of the company's stock after selling 894,935 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.40% of Xcel Energy worth $154,293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Electron Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 992,120 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,988,000 after buying an additional 182,758 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 24,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,639,107 shares of the company's stock worth $380,753,000 after buying an additional 561,478 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 561,605 shares of the company's stock worth $37,920,000 after buying an additional 2,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Decade Renewable Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $6,799,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

XEL opened at $70.67 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $69.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.17. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

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.

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