Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys 20,493 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 27.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,419 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,493 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 293.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.52. 4,128,599 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,129,048. The company has a market cap of $30.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $54.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.55. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $66.40. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 65.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.83.

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.