Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 528 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 38,311 shares of the company’s stock after selling 528 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after acquiring an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. ING Groep NV lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,116,000 after acquiring an additional 106,326 shares during the period. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $69.94 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. 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 company has a market cap of $40.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $67.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.68.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

About Xcel Energy

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.