Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,142 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,490 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $827,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,625,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,372,000 after buying an additional 38,653 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,584,000. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $400,000. Finally, Amarillo National Bank boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 12,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $64.46 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $63.12 and its 200-day moving average is $57.91.

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). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

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.