Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Great Waters Wealth Management

Great Waters Wealth Management cut its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 16,315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 413 shares during the period. Great Waters Wealth Management’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 113,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,416,000 after buying an additional 7,686 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 22,701 shares during the period. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $1,146,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $585,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $3,472,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. 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 research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.36.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $63.73. 3,052,914 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,206,958. 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 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The firm has a market cap of $35.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $61.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.79.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.