AlphaQuest LLC Boosts Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 164,300.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,796 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,787 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $635,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 139,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,105,000 after acquiring an additional 11,604 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 100.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,270 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 481.9% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 2,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $33,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.35 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.56. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.76 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on 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. Three research 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.