Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stake Raised by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 118.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 302,956 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 164,342 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Xcel Energy worth $16,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Epiq Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 29,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 12,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 3,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.54.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $64.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $59.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $64.95.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.77%.

Xcel Energy 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.