Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,522 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $63.73 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.82. The company has a market cap of $35.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced 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 company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XEL shares. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.36.

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.