Ameriflex Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Challenger Wealth Management acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $270,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 160.2% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 12,871 shares of the company's stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 7,925 shares during the period. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,086,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,348,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 260,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,599,000 after buying an additional 12,650 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on XEL. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.90.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $70.15. The company had a trading volume of 845,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,615,710. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The stock's 50 day moving average is $69.84 and its 200-day moving average is $68.95.

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

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.