Larson Financial Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Larson Financial Group LLC decreased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 20.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,113 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,288 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.2%

XEL traded up $0.84 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $69.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,623,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,603,493. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.26 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $68.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $39.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.36.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.80.

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.