Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Position Raised by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,442 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $773,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Brookfield Corp ON boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 520.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 2,509,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,840,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104,405 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $83,653,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 440.2% in the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186,427 shares during the period. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $64,301,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.10.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.75 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $40.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.37 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $67.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.71.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

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.