Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 8,446 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. by 15.5%, selling 8,446 shares, leaving them with 45,979 shares valued at approximately $3.25 million.
• Xcel Energy reported $0.75 earnings per share for the recent quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.66, with a year-over-year revenue growth of 8.6%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.57, which is set to be paid on October 20th, representing an annualized yield of 3.1%.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC cut its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 15.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,979 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,446 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $240,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $12,619,000. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 12,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 15,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 60.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 34,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,306,000 after acquiring an additional 12,822 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $73.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.24 and a fifty-two week high of $74.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.42. The company has a market capitalization of $43.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.34.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 63.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. Mizuho lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

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.

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