American Century Companies Inc. Sells 614,936 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,161,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 614,936 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $213,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.11 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.58 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.21 and its 200-day moving average is $67.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

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.