Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Sells 4,638 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI trimmed its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 27,210 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,638 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth $43,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on XEL. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.29.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $63.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.69. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $65.64. The firm has a market cap of $35.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

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.