Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 490 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,933 shares of the company’s stock after selling 490 shares during the quarter. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.75 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.37 and a one year high of $73.38. 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 $40.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $67.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.80.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut 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. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.