Cetera Investment Advisers Has $10.61 Million Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 157,193 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,937 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $10,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dakota Wealth Management increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company's stock worth $1,562,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company's stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $68.31. 5,328,124 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,575,867. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.60. 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 $39.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.