Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 147,854 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,131,567 shares of the company’s stock after selling 147,854 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.20% of Xcel Energy worth $76,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 558,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,493,000 after purchasing an additional 11,975 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 28,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Xcel Energy by 107.8% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 105,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,920,000 after buying an additional 54,967 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 3.4% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 97,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,360,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.72 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.59 and a 200-day moving average of $67.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, 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 quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. KeyCorp increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective 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 eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

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.