Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,938 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,276 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 8,790 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 165.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 107,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,770,000 after buying an additional 66,840 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 61,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,267,000 after buying an additional 10,851 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 60.3% during the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 22,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 8,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 83.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,103,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,954,000 after acquiring an additional 502,231 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on XEL. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.62.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $72.92 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.22. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $41.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

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.