Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Meyer Handelman Co.

Meyer Handelman Co. cut its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,676 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,698 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $64.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $36.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $68.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.38. 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 earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

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.