AlphaQuest LLC Boosts Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 164,300.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,796 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,787 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after buying an additional 2,323,448 shares during the period. Brookfield Corp ON increased its position in Xcel Energy by 520.1% during the third quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 2,509,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,840,000 after buying an additional 2,104,405 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,653,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 440.2% during the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,304,000 after buying an additional 1,186,427 shares during the period. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $64,301,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $69.35 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $67.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.56. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.76 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted 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 on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.