Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Burkehill Global Management LP

Key Points

• Burkehill Global Management LP has reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. by 59% after selling 590,000 shares, now holding 410,000 shares which represents 2.2% of its portfolio.
• Xcel Energy reported a net margin of 14.85% and earnings per share of $0.75 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.66.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57, with an annualized yield of 3.1%, and a payout ratio of 63.16%.

Burkehill Global Management LP reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 59.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 410,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 590,000 shares during the period. Xcel Energy comprises 2.2% of Burkehill Global Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Burkehill Global Management LP owned about 0.07% of Xcel Energy worth $29,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,818,158 shares of the company's stock worth $5,296,377,000 after acquiring an additional 986,170 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,811,241 shares of the company's stock worth $1,473,228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520,092 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock worth $1,401,901,000 after buying an additional 6,306,380 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,711,917 shares of the company's stock worth $404,347,000 after buying an additional 33,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,639,107 shares of the company's stock worth $380,753,000 after buying an additional 561,478 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $72.39. The company had a trading volume of 3,136,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,448,483. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $69.63 and a 200 day moving average of $69.46. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.31 and a 1-year high of $74.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91, 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The business 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 company earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

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 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 is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on XEL. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

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.