Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Axxcess Wealth Management LLC

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,681 shares of the company’s stock after selling 739 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 293.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on XEL. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $54.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $53.10 and its 200-day moving average is $57.83. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $69.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.08. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 13.36%. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.548 dividend. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.99%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 65.77%.

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.