Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Position Increased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,311,697 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 82,790 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.23% of Xcel Energy worth $88,573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after acquiring an additional 953,002 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company's stock worth $1,302,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,194 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 15.9% during the 4th 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,178,956 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,029,223,000 after buying an additional 616,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $69.90. 543,574 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,805,848. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $69.59 and a 200 day moving average of $68.15. The company has a market cap of $40.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on XEL. UBS Group upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.