Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Decreases Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 413 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $991,956,000 after acquiring an additional 892,740 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,091,000 after acquiring an additional 262,191 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,777,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,023,000 after acquiring an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,417,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,170,000 after buying an additional 67,820 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on XEL. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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 boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $72.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $67.45 and a 200 day moving average of $66.07. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

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.