Man Group plc Sells 281,886 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Man Group plc lowered its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 89.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,608 shares of the company's stock after selling 281,886 shares during the period. Man Group plc's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $69.07. 258,821 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,618,757. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.94.

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

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.57 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was 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. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.90.

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.