Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,276 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,434 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $441,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 298,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,448,000 after buying an additional 7,679 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $896,000. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 325,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,131,000 after purchasing an additional 11,709 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 47.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 115,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,121,000 after purchasing an additional 37,131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 930.5% during the third quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 45,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,627,000 after purchasing an additional 41,462 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $53.98 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $54.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.54. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $65.62. The firm has a market cap of $29.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $62.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.00.

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.