Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by United Services Automobile Association

United Services Automobile Association trimmed its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,580 shares during the quarter. United Services Automobile Association’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $39.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.58 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 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.