Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,245 shares of the company’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.97 on Thursday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $40.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.94.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.26%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

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.