abrdn plc Buys 9,803 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

abrdn plc grew its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 190,396 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,803 shares during the period. abrdn plc’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $12,821,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after buying an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Brookfield Corp ON lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 520.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 2,509,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,840,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104,405 shares during the period. Merewether Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $64,301,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $991,956,000 after purchasing an additional 892,740 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1,265.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 839,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,797,000 after purchasing an additional 777,696 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $66.60 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. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.81. The company has a market cap of $38.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.