Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $26.96 Million Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 399,308 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,646 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.07% of Xcel Energy worth $26,961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock worth $1,401,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock worth $446,175,000 after buying an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Zimmer Partners LP lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% in the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,609,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 236.7% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,381,000 after buying an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 379.3% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $271,578,000 after buying an additional 3,182,939 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

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

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $70.20. The stock had a trading volume of 3,985,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,599,829. The company has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company's 50 day moving average is $69.89 and its 200-day moving average is $68.96. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.90.

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.