Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by GeoWealth Management LLC

GeoWealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 23.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,594 shares of the company’s stock after selling 778 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during 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 acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.09.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of XEL opened at $71.61 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

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.