Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Position Boosted by Heritage Wealth Advisors

Heritage Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 160.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,040 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 667 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 441.0% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 39,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 31,941 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $243,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 44.0% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 3,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 558,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,493,000 after buying an additional 11,975 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock opened at $68.92 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.16. 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 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.