Two Sigma Advisers LP Decreases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Two Sigma Advisers LP reduced its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 265,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 129,100 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $17,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 120.2% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,095,000 after buying an additional 1,299,025 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 130.4% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,325,000 after buying an additional 1,179,823 shares during the period. Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $64,301,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $991,956,000 after acquiring an additional 892,740 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $69.74 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $40.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.00.

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.