USS Investment Management Ltd Trims Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd has reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. by 48.6%, selling 67,100 shares, and now holds a total of 70,878 shares valued at approximately $5,017,000.
• Institutional ownership of Xcel Energy remains high, with 78.38% of the stock owned by institutional investors, including increases in stakes from firms like Vanguard Group and Price T Rowe Associates.
• Xcel Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, yielding approximately 3.1%, with a payout ratio of 63.16% as reported in their latest earnings data.

USS Investment Management Ltd lessened its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 48.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,878 shares of the company's stock after selling 67,100 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth $50,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 36.9% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 861 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $73.35. 7,080,569 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,201,873. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.12 and a 12 month high of $74.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $71.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.21.

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

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 63.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on XEL. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently 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.