Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Sells 42,814 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 69.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,513 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,814 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. LBP AM SA acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth $2,169,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 26,878 shares of the company's stock worth $1,903,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.2% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 15,133 shares of the company's stock worth $1,071,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 47.1% during the first quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 10,826 shares of the company's stock valued at $766,000 after purchasing an additional 3,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 51.9% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Thursday, reaching $68.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,542,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,603,342. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $68.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.60. The firm has a market cap of $39.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $52.64 and a one year high of $73.38.

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). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 14.10%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 67.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. 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 report on Wednesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.