Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $167.17 Million Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,475,912 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,670 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.43% of Xcel Energy worth $167,174,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Integris Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.05 and a 200-day moving average of $65.36. 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 stock has a market cap of $39.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. KeyCorp increased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

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.