Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. by 18.3%, selling 207,531 shares and now owning approximately 0.16% of the company valued at $65.4 million.
• Analysts generally have a positive outlook on Xcel Energy, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00, following various upgrades from firms like Evercore ISI and Wells Fargo.
• Xcel Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.1%, with the payout ratio currently at 63.16%.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 924,036 shares of the company's stock after selling 207,531 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.16% of Xcel Energy worth $65,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.93. 7,792,732 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,674,379. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.04 and a 12-month high of $74.57. The firm has a market cap of $42.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.34.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XEL. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Mizuho upped 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Company 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.