Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,723 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XEL. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.36.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $62.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $62.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.21. The stock 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 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). The business had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

About Xcel Energy

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.