Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lowered its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 78,927 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,357 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Carlson Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Carlson Capital Management now owns 4,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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 decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.24 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $68.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.94. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $40.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Xcel Energy 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.