Independent Advisor Alliance Trims Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Independent Advisor Alliance lowered its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,684 shares of the company’s stock after selling 304 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.6 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.75 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.37 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.80. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on XEL shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.10.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.