Challenger Wealth Management Takes Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Challenger Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.8%

XEL stock traded up $0.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $69.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,024,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,625,033. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.83 and a 200-day moving average of $68.94. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.97 and a one year high of $73.38. The stock has a market cap of $40.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

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

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 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.