Enhancing Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 15,500 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Enhancing Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 15,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in XEL. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.4% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 28,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,850,000 after acquiring an additional 6,225 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.6% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 998 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 124,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concord Asset Management LLC VA acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $209,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.86. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.37 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.10.

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.