Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 551,470 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,436,205 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 551,470 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $367,053,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Dakota Wealth Management raised its position in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.32.

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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on XEL. KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.60.

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.