Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 86,358 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 86,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,831,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dakota Wealth Management increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Integris Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.10.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.75 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.37 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.75 and a 200 day moving average of $66.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

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.