Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 237,519 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,272 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $14,705,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $54.96. 3,996,068 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,411,757. The company has a market cap of $30.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $54.08 and its 200 day moving average is $58.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $71.32.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays upgraded Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

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.