Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL Stock Holdings Cut by Royal Bank of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.3%, owning approximately 3.2 million shares worth $227.6 million at the end of the first quarter.
• Xcel Energy reported a quarterly EPS of $0.75, exceeding estimates, and increased revenue by 8.6% year-over-year, generating $3.29 billion in the latest quarter.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.1%, with an ex-dividend date on September 15th.

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 0.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,215,285 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,567 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.56% of Xcel Energy worth $227,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $240,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 23,401 shares of the company's stock worth $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 81,718 shares of the company's stock worth $5,518,000 after acquiring an additional 10,275 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 251.8% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 40,985 shares of the company's stock worth $2,767,000 after acquiring an additional 29,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alteri Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $72.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,225,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,376,788. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.12 and a 52 week high of $74.57. The company has a market capitalization of $42.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $71.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho upped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.80.

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.