Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Short Interest Down 22.1% in December

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 25,245,915 shares, a decrease of 22.1% from the December 15th total of 32,389,484 shares. Approximately 4.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,808,550 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,808,550 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days. Approximately 4.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Mizuho set a $86.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $87.00.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $75.61 on Monday. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $83.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $76.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $44.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.46.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.89 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.45%. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 29th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $85,000. Tema Etfs LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 95,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,032,000 after purchasing an additional 40,716 shares during the period. Victory Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Financial Group LLC now owns 4,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 5,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 739 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.