Sabal Trust CO Has $222,000 Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Sabal Trust CO trimmed its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 42.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,283 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,462 shares during the period. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 185.2% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 22,701 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 33.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 9,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $620,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 64,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,232,000 after acquiring an additional 4,395 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 56.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,822,000 after acquiring an additional 10,123 shares during the period. Finally, abrdn plc increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 180,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,756,000 after acquiring an additional 33,752 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of XEL opened at $69.97 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $67.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.94. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

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.