Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,889 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL opened at $71.90 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $67.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

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.