Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV reduced its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,891 shares of the company’s stock after selling 697 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in XEL. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.79.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $64.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.97. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $64.95. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 65.77%.

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.