Nebula Research & Development LLC Acquires 11,532 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Nebula Research & Development LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 81.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,769 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,532 shares during the quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of XEL stock traded up $0.09 on Wednesday, hitting $70.76. 2,648,459 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,587,750. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.61 and a 200 day moving average of $68.17. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

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.