Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Has $237.24 Million Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,512,180 shares of the company’s stock after selling 237,927 shares during the quarter. Xcel Energy accounts for approximately 0.6% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.61% of Xcel Energy worth $237,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $68.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $73.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $68.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.12.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. Barclays reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.30.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.