Private Advisor Group LLC Has $3.64 Million Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Private Advisor Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 53,943 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,199 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $278,000. ING Groep NV increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,116,000 after buying an additional 106,326 shares during the period. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.94 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, 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 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Xcel Energy 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.