Devin W. Stockfish Buys 2,170 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.85. The company had a trading volume of 3,353,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,695,590. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $39.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.76 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $67.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.63.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective 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 upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.10.

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.