Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Raises Position in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,452 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,088 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,325,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,437,000 after buying an additional 73,036 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $2,735,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $905,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $267,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $81.80 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.58 and a 52-week high of $82.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.54. The company has a market capitalization of $48.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Mizuho set a $83.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 25th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.73.

About Xcel Energy

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.