Thompson Investment Management Inc. Sells 500 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Thompson Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,999 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Thompson Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $66.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.89. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $38.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

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.