29,900 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Bought by CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 29,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,851,000. Xcel Energy accounts for 3.8% of CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quilter Plc bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $255,201,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $53.08. 2,255,293 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,494,216. The company has a market cap of $29.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $71.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.26.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.78% and a net margin of 12.47%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 68.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. TheStreet cut shares of Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.08.

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.