Creative Planning Has $15.10 Million Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 116.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 282,619 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 151,843 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $15,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.36.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $65.30 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.97. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $65.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.50.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

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.