Optas LLC Acquires Shares of 4,416 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Optas LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in 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 period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.63 on Thursday, hitting $66.28. 2,917,067 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,574,972. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.72.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on XEL shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.