MBB Public Markets I LLC Increases Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

MBB Public Markets I LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 751.9% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,187 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 43,413 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $64.57 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $35.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $64.95.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.14.

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.