Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,568 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $278,000. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,116,000 after buying an additional 106,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $301,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $68.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.43. The firm has a market cap of $39.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XEL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

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.