Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,846 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

XEL opened at $70.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.36 and its 200-day moving average is $65.97. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly 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, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.