Swiss National Bank Increases Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. by 2.8% in the first quarter, owning 1,619,600 shares valued at $114.65 million.
• Several institutional investors boosted their holdings significantly, with Bank of America increasing theirs by 43.6% and Zimmer Partners LP boosting theirs by an astounding 1,625.7% in the fourth quarter.
• Xcel Energy's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $0.75, exceeding expectations, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, reflecting a yield of 3.1%.

Swiss National Bank raised its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,619,600 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 44,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.28% of Xcel Energy worth $114,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $72.39. 3,136,922 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,448,483. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.31 and a 12 month high of $74.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $69.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 2.45 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. Xcel Energy's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.00.

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.