Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 28.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 500,496 shares of the company’s stock after selling 202,907 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $40,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 168.4% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 202.2% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 98.8% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.1%

XEL opened at $76.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $83.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.00. The firm has a market cap of $44.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.46.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.89 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 13.46%.The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $86.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. BTIG Research set a $94.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.40.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.