Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Position Lowered by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 481 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 39,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after buying an additional 3,108 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,605,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 7,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Priebe Wealth Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Priebe Wealth Holdings LLC now owns 3,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $67.68 on Wednesday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $38.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $68.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.75.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

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.