Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Purchases 1,927 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,102 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.75 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $67.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.61. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $38.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several research reports. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.64.

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.