Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 35.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,193 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,666 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock worth $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock worth $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company's stock worth $1,189,246,000 after buying an additional 2,422,483 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $83,653,000. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 440.2% during the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company's stock worth $98,304,000 after buying an additional 1,186,427 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Xcel Energy stock traded up $0.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $70.77. The company had a trading volume of 3,854,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,571,234. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $40.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $69.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.23. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS 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 paid 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on XEL. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

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.