Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Position Lifted by Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC

Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 144.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,218 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,228 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dakota Wealth Management grew its position in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 2.6% in the fourth 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 owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $71.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $69.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.65. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on XEL. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.00.

Xcel Energy 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.