CenterBook Partners LP Takes $458,000 Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners LP acquired 6,473 shares of Xcel Energy valued at approximately $458,000 in the first quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Analyst ratings for Xcel Energy have been positive, with multiple firms raising their price targets, the highest currently being $78.00, and an overall consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Xcel Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, which reflects an annualized dividend yield of 3.1% and a payout ratio of 63.16%.

CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 6,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $458,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at about $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at about $53,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.1%

XEL traded up $0.10 on Friday, hitting $73.33. The company had a trading volume of 3,328,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,379,997. The company has a market cap of $43.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.34. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $57.24 and a 12-month high of $74.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $69.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.40.

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

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 63.16%.

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.