BNP Paribas Financial Markets Trims Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,004,714 shares of the company’s stock after selling 732,334 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.17% of Xcel Energy worth $65,608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $72.92 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $65.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $41.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.62.

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.