LPL Financial LLC Purchases 99,389 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,384,768 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 99,389 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $93,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL opened at $67.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.03 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $68.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.15. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.58 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 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, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XEL. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

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.