Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Position Trimmed by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 45.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 48,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,648 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 48,200.0% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 16,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 16,388 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $230,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.6% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 17,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,142,000 after buying an additional 772 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 20.9% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 88,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,772,000 after buying an additional 15,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Xcel Energy by 19.0% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,265,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,648,000 after buying an additional 202,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upped 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 note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 5.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $67.89 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $39.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.47.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

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.