Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,071 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,730 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 643,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,614,000 after buying an additional 121,118 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,625,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,372,000 after acquiring an additional 38,653 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 24.8% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 100,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,427,000 after acquiring an additional 20,068 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 91.6% during the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 190,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,245,000 after purchasing an additional 91,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 8,790 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.54.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $63.05 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $63.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.10. The firm has a market cap of $35.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.97. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.76.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.