First National Advisers LLC Has $2.28 Million Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

First National Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,747 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 980 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $69.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $40.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.37 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.75.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.10.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Xcel Energy

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.