NEOS Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 24.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,269 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,658 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $39.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share 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 issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

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.