Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 25.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,269 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,549 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,433,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on XEL. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 5.9 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $68.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.45.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Company 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.