Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 237,927 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,512,180 shares of the company’s stock after selling 237,927 shares during the quarter. Xcel Energy accounts for approximately 0.6% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $237,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in XEL. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 18,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 19,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 272,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,814,000 after purchasing an additional 120,685 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 441.0% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 39,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 31,941 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on XEL. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $68.86 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.12. 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 stock has a market cap of $39.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.58 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

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 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Xcel Energy 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.