Zimmer Partners LP Raises Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Zimmer Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1,625.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Xcel Energy makes up approximately 4.3% of Zimmer Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Zimmer Partners LP owned 0.64% of Xcel Energy worth $247,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after purchasing an additional 953,002 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings 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 valued at $1,401,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company's stock worth $1,302,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022,194 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company's stock worth $1,189,246,000 after acquiring an additional 2,422,483 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,178,956 shares of the company's stock worth $1,029,223,000 after acquiring an additional 616,853 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $69.73. The company had a trading volume of 3,077,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,636,211. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $40.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.90.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays lifted 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $75.90.

Xcel Energy Company 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.