Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 97,336 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $6,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $240,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 112,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,581,000 after acquiring an additional 2,920 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.80.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.75 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.35 and a 200-day moving average of $68.59. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

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.