Metis Global Partners LLC Purchases 2,328 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 42,156 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,328 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $278,000. ING Groep NV lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,116,000 after buying an additional 106,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $72.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $41.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $67.45 and a 200 day moving average of $66.11. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend 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.