Invesco LLC Grows Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Invesco LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 133.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,557 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,608 shares during the quarter. Invesco LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,437,000 after acquiring an additional 73,036 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. Edge Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $14,067,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 49,882 shares of the company's stock worth $3,368,000 after purchasing an additional 9,110 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 23,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,555,000 after buying an additional 8,168 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.23. 4,013,299 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,579,014. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $39.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. Xcel Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.80.

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.