AE Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• AE Wealth Management boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 639.2% in Q4, owning 193,473 shares worth about $14.29 million after adding 167,298 shares.
• Xcel reported Q4 EPS of $0.96 (matching estimates) and revenue of $3.56 billion (below estimates), with revenue up 14.1% year‑over‑year and analysts projecting roughly 3.82 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Xcel increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5925 (annualized $2.37, yield 2.9%, ex‑dividend March 13) and the stock carries an average analyst rating of "Buy" with a mean target of $88.44.

AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 639.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 193,473 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 167,298 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $14,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of XEL. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 168.4% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 394.5% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 361 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $81.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.61 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.21 and a twelve month high of $84.23. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $80.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96. The firm had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 10.46%. Xcel Energy's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $93.00 to $89.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Argus set a $86.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $86.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.44.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy NASDAQ: XEL is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.