Friedenthal Financial Buys New Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Epiq Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the first quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 29,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management raised its position in Xcel Energy by 4.3% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $64.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $62.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.53. The company has a market capitalization of $35.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.57.

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.