Vision Financial Markets LLC Buys Shares of 1,110 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 163.9% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 15,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 9,465 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 161,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,933,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $5,831,000. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 84,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,703,000 after purchasing an additional 3,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 145,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,828,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $68.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.34.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced 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. KeyCorp raised their target price 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.