Northern Trust Corp Raises Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.8%, owning nearly 1.03% of the company with a valuation of $422 million after acquiring additional shares.
• Xcel Energy reported $0.75 EPS in its most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.66, and anticipates 3.82 EPS for the current year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, indicating a 3.1% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 63.16%.

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 5.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,967,952 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 328,845 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.03% of Xcel Energy worth $422,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $74.26. The stock had a trading volume of 3,374,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,809,564. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $59.91 and a twelve month high of $74.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.34. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Mizuho raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Company 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.