First Trust Advisors LP Sells 185,204 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

by · The Cerbat Gem

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL – Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,956,586 shares of the company’s stock after selling 185,204 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.34% of Xcel Energy worth $132,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,189,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,422,483 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $83,653,000. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 440.2% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,304,000 after buying an additional 1,186,427 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.82. The company has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Read Our Latest Analysis on XEL

About Xcel Energy

(Free Report)

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.

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