Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Makes New $709,000 Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has made a new investment of approximately $709,000 in Xcel Energy Inc. by acquiring 10,010 shares.
• Over 78% of Xcel Energy's stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, indicating significant confidence in the company's performance.
• Xcel Energy has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.1% and showcasing the company's commitment to returning value to its shareholders.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 10,010 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $709,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock worth $1,401,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,178,956 shares of the company's stock worth $1,029,223,000 after purchasing an additional 616,853 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,678,448 shares of the company's stock worth $383,409,000 after purchasing an additional 504,143 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,639,107 shares of the company's stock worth $380,753,000 after purchasing an additional 561,478 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on XEL. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $75.80.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $73.44 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $69.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.07. The stock has a market cap of $42.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.69 and a fifty-two week high of $73.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders 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 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Xcel Energy Profile

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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