CENTRAL TRUST Co Sells 1,903 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

CENTRAL TRUST Co cut its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 17.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,883 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,903 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $387,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Xcel Energy by 33.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 143,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,668,000 after purchasing an additional 36,229 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,472,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 185.2% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after buying an additional 22,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 113,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,416,000 after buying an additional 7,686 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of XEL opened at $67.75 on Tuesday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.61. The firm has a market cap of $38.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

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. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.