Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 121,614 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,092 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $7,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 26,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,274,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 70,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,359,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $54.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $69.85. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.91. The stock has a market cap of $30.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet cut shares of Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.83.

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.