Wells Fargo & Company MN Has $121.03 Million Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Wells Fargo & Company MN lessened its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 70.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,792,486 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,350,967 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.31% of Xcel Energy worth $121,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $67.89 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.49. The firm has a market cap of $39.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS 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%. Equities 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 paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Xcel Energy

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.