ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Increases Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 40.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,027 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 874 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 388,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 98,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,617,000 after buying an additional 2,061 shares during the last quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 1,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 10,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC now owns 4,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of XEL opened at $63.37 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.17. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 64.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on XEL. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.17.

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.