Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Northern Trust Corp

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,639,107 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 561,478 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $380,753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Dakota Wealth Management increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $70.67 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a 50 day moving average of $69.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.17. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 dividend yield of 3.23%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.