PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $15.19 Million Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 224,933 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,598 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $15,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded 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 research note on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.35 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $39.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $67.60 and a 200-day moving average of $66.56. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $50.76 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 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 forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

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.