Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 53.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,450 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $682,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.9% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.35.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.64.

About Xcel Energy

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.