Machina Capital S.A.S. Sells 20,396 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Machina Capital S.A.S. trimmed its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 83.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,125 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,396 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $279,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 14,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $930,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 8,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 2,161 shares during the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $229,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $68.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $67.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.50. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.89 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $39.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.28%.

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.