Affiance Financial LLC Has $416,000 Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Affiance Financial LLC lowered its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,167 shares of the company’s stock after selling 353 shares during the quarter. Affiance Financial LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $38.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $68.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.00.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 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 the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.