Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,901 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,441 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $7,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 84,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,703,000 after buying an additional 3,919 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 145,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,828,000 after buying an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $957,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,625,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,817,000 after purchasing an additional 208,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 155,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,526,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $67.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $38.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.69 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.35.

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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

About Xcel Energy

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.