Amalgamated Bank Has $7.58 Million Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 112,276 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,920 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $7,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.97 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $67.27 and its 200 day moving average is $65.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.