Nuveen Asset Management LLC Has $140.84 Million Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,085,941 shares of the company's stock after selling 98,866 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.36% of Xcel Energy worth $140,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $301,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 134,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,055,000 after buying an additional 6,114 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $69.92. 1,282,910 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,621,392. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $69.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.84. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 67.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on XEL. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.90.

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.