Gradient Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201,047 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,038 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $14,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
Xcel Energy Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $68.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 540,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,826,176. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.96. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $39.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have issued reports on XEL. UBS Group upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.90.
Read Our Latest Report on XEL
Xcel Energy Profile
(
Free Report)
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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