Vision Financial Markets LLC Invests $75,000 in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on XEL. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $68.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.98, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.34.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

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.