Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,882 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,110 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight 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 $72.30.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.72 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS 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, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. 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 yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by 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.