Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 1,536,718 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its ownership in Xcel Energy Inc. by 19.9%, now holding approximately 6.19 million shares worth about $438.47 million.
• Xcel Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57, translating to an annualized yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 63.16%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on Xcel Energy, with an average price target of $76.80, indicating potential appreciation in share value.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. decreased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,193,952 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,536,718 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 1.07% of Xcel Energy worth $438,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Conning Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.1% in the first quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 4,400 shares of the company's stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.3% in the first quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,406 shares of the company's stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 3.1% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,998 shares of the company's stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.5% in the first quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 33,930 shares of the company's stock worth $2,401,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 3.3% in the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,134 shares of the company's stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on XEL shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.80.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.50 on Friday, reaching $73.35. The company had a trading volume of 7,080,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,201,873. The stock's 50 day moving average is $71.92 and its 200-day moving average is $70.21. The stock has a market cap of $43.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.35. 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 52 week low of $62.12 and a 52 week high of $74.57.

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

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

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.