NorthRock Partners LLC Acquires 6,063 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 42.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,187 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,063 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock worth $1,401,901,000 after buying an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock worth $446,175,000 after buying an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock worth $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 379.3% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company's stock worth $271,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company's stock worth $1,189,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,422,483 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL traded up $1.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.38. 7,152,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,620,693. The company has a market capitalization of $41.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.75. 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 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 67.06%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.