Shell Asset Management Co. Cuts Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Shell Asset Management Co. reduced its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 22.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,617 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,569 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL traded up $0.11 on Tuesday, reaching $72.32. 3,538,564 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,625,770. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $69.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $41.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on XEL. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.