Xcel Energy Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:XEL)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors purchased 20,169 Xcel Energy put options, roughly 1,126% above the typical daily volume of 1,645.
• Analyst outlook remains positive: Xcel Energy has an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $92.41, despite recent target-price reductions from BMO Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley.
• Financial and shareholder highlights: The stock rose 1.2% to $77.19, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.93—above estimates—and announced a $0.5925 quarterly dividend, yielding approximately 3.1% annually.

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 20,169 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,126% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,645 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. New Street Research set a $91.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $101.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.41.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.2%

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.89 during trading on Monday, reaching $77.19. 2,801,087 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,145,905. Xcel Energy has a fifty-two week low of $71.29 and a fifty-two week high of $84.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market cap of $48.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $79.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.73.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.14. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 15.28% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The company had revenue of $3.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 64.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at $280,187,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,324,667 shares of the company's stock worth $171,700,000 after acquiring an additional 356,208 shares in the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,477,000. Electron Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,936,695 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,044,000 after purchasing an additional 255,884 shares during the period. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 3,579,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,413,000 after purchasing an additional 415,759 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy NASDAQ: XEL is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.

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