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

Zimmer Partners LP increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 1,625.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund 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 about 4.3% of Zimmer Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Zimmer Partners LP owned about 0.64% of Xcel Energy worth $247,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on XEL. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $72.21 on Tuesday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.80 and a 200 day moving average of $68.81. The firm has a market cap of $41.65 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 67.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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