Prudential PLC Grows Position in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Prudential PLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 35.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,679 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,351 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $240,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.7% in the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 9,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $681,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.7% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $905,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.5% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Cowen initiated coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.14.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.2%

XEL opened at $79.67 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.58 and a fifty-two week high of $83.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.89 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. Xcel Energy’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

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.