Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by WFA Asset Management Corp

WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 449.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,131 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 925 shares during the quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $80,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,401,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,306,380 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,175,000 after buying an additional 3,581,436 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% in the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,609,000 after buying an additional 3,454,700 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,381,000 after buying an additional 3,429,353 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 379.3% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,578,000 after acquiring an additional 3,182,939 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $68.51 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $69.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.97 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.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on XEL. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.90.

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.