Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Raises Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,643 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,346 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded 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 research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $39.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Xcel Energy 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.