Corient Private Wealth LLC Sells 22,543 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Corient Private Wealth LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 134,128 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,543 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.10.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.58 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $68.02 and its 200 day moving average is $66.94.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

About Xcel Energy

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.