Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 168.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 365,828 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 229,582 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV owned 0.07% of Xcel Energy worth $22,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $55.52. The company had a trading volume of 4,092,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,227,675. The firm has a market cap of $30.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $66.52. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $53.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.65.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 13.36%. The firm's revenue was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $62.83.

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.

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