565,951 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Purchased by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 565,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,213,000. Xcel Energy accounts for 0.6% of Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super owned 0.10% of Xcel Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.56 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on XEL. Barclays upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Three 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

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.