Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Acquires 4,675 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 78,425 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,675 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $64.46 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $63.12 and a 200-day moving average of $57.88. 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 company has a market capitalization of $35.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.76.

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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

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.