USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 38,457 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

USS Investment Management Ltd decreased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 21.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 137,978 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,457 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $8,501,000. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 83.8% during the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 8,096 shares of the company's stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $2,328,000. Zimmer Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock worth $247,609,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $300,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,077,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,636,211. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.89. The company has a market capitalization of $40.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Xcel Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.90.

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.