Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 20.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,724 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,442 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $240,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,831,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 90,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,118,000 after purchasing an additional 9,741 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 34,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,359,000 after buying an additional 4,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 246,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,644,000 after buying an additional 13,076 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.17 on Tuesday. 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 1 year low of $52.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $39.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.62.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 14.10%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.80.

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.