Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Makes New $957,000 Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 14,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $957,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $68.73 on Thursday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.34.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

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.