Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 955,871 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 106,878 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.17% of Xcel Energy worth $63,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased 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. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.97 and a one year high of $73.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $68.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Xcel Energy Company 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.