Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Holdings Increased by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 63,142 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,490 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth $827,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,625,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,372,000 after purchasing an additional 38,653 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $3,584,000. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $400,000. Finally, Amarillo National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 12,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.54.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $64.46 on Monday. 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $65.76.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 (DPR) is presently 65.77%.

About Xcel Energy

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.