AlphaQuest LLC Sells 5,529 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC has reduced its stock holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. by 37.4%, now owning 9,267 shares valued at approximately $656,000.
• Xcel Energy's recent quarterly earnings report revealed $0.75 earnings per share, surpassing estimates, while the company anticipates a FY 2025 EPS guidance of 3.750-3.850.
• The upcoming quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share will be paid to stockholders on October 20th, reflecting a 3.1% dividend yield.

AlphaQuest LLC reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 37.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,267 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,529 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.53 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.34. 3,361,865 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,672,605. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $60.66 and a 52-week high of $74.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.92 and a 200-day moving average of $69.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.34.

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

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 63.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on XEL. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.