Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Reduces Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

XEL stock opened at $67.40 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.15. The company has a market capitalization of $38.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were given a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

About Xcel Energy

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.