Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 1,100 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 23,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after buying an additional 1,911 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 31,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its position in Xcel Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 51,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 9,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the period. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,713,000 after purchasing an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $67.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.15. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy 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.