Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Congress Wealth Management LLC DE

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,643 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,346 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after acquiring an additional 953,002 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,091,000 after buying an additional 262,191 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,777,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,023,000 after buying an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,625,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,817,000 after buying an additional 208,233 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.32 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.18. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly 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, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on XEL. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.