Natixis Advisors L.P. Acquires 13,261 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,048 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,261 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $6,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 131,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,525,000 after buying an additional 6,194 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 166.9% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 162,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,065,000 after purchasing an additional 101,521 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 20.6% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 559,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,989,000 after purchasing an additional 95,629 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $311,000. Finally, Graypoint LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $213,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $55.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $30.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $69.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $53.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.81.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 13.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

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.