Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Increases Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 215,155 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $14,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323,448 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Xcel Energy by 6.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $991,956,000 after purchasing an additional 892,740 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,091,000 after purchasing an additional 262,191 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,777,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,023,000 after purchasing an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,417,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,170,000 after buying an additional 67,820 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays reduced 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 increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of 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 nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL opened at $70.76 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $40.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $67.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.97.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

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.