Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 72,813 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. has reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. by 10.2%, selling 72,813 shares, resulting in ownership of 642,026 shares valued at approximately $45.4 million.
• The company reported earnings per share of $0.75 for the quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a revenue increase of 8.6% year-over-year.
• Xcel Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.1%, indicating a solid return for its investors.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 10.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 642,026 shares of the company's stock after selling 72,813 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.11% of Xcel Energy worth $45,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 31.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,809,978 shares of the company's stock worth $1,827,090,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109,190 shares during the period. Zimmer Partners LP increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock worth $247,609,000 after acquiring an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 379.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company's stock worth $271,578,000 after acquiring an additional 3,182,939 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth $155,510,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,811,241 shares of the company's stock worth $1,473,228,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of XEL stock opened at $72.68 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $71.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.13. The company has a market cap of $42.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.35. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.12 and a fifty-two week high of $74.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The company's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on XEL. Mizuho raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.80.

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.

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