Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 231,482 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 106,326 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $15,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Integris Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 22,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $39.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.00. 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 twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $69.53.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The company’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

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.