GSA Capital Partners LLP Acquires Shares of 8,736 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired 8,736 shares of Xcel Energy Inc. valued at approximately $618,000 during the first quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Xcel Energy has received mixed ratings from analysts, with one firm downgrading it to a "sell" while others have boosted their price targets, reflecting a consensus price target of **$76.00** and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, yielding **3.1%**, set to be paid on October 20th, which showcases its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $618,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,568,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $181,813,000 after purchasing an additional 89,249 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 75.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38,740 shares of the company's stock worth $2,980,000 after buying an additional 16,641 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $198,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,852 shares of the company's stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 225.9% during the first quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 16,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,155,000 after acquiring an additional 11,316 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on XEL. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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 lifted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $73.47 on Monday. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.34. The business's 50 day moving average price is $69.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.19. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.24 and a 52 week high of $74.13.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 63.16%.

About Xcel Energy

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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