Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 18.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 472,344 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 73,036 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.08% of Xcel Energy worth $33,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in XEL. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during 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 buying an additional 155 shares during 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 buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.64 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.70. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $69.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.65. The stock has a market cap of $38.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced 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 net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.80.

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.