Millstone Evans Group LLC Makes New $120,000 Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 9.6% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 75,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,944,000 after buying an additional 6,620 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.8% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 7,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.9% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 12,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after buying an additional 946 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $1,413,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,417,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,170,000 after purchasing an additional 67,820 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased 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 directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. 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 50-day simple moving average of $68.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.05. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 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%. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

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.