CX Institutional Increases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

CX Institutional increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 56.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,004 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,158 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $35,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $66.61 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on XEL. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

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.