Wedmont Private Capital Purchases 484 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 9.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,464 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL opened at $62.31 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $62.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.18. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 65.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.36.

Xcel Energy Company 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.