LPL Financial LLC Raises Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,384,768 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,389 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Xcel Energy worth $93,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 19,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,305,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 79.4% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 272,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,814,000 after purchasing an additional 120,685 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.7% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 441.0% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 39,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 31,941 shares during the period. Finally, Pitcairn Co. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $243,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $67.93 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $39.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $68.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.15. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 acquisition 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 Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp raised 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy 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.