Venturi Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 21.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,059 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,611 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 185.2% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 22,701 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Xcel Energy by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203 shares during the period. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $238,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $67.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.52. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $39.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.43.

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 fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of 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. KeyCorp increased their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

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.