Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Has $5.06 Million Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 78,425 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,675 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 770.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,552,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,955,000 after buying an additional 6,684,499 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,186,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,264,000 after purchasing an additional 74,690 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 120.2% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,025 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 130.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,325,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,823 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,854,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,046,000 after purchasing an additional 174,653 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $64.46 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.88. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $65.76. The company has a market cap of $35.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

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.