Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Holdings Raised by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 955,871 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 106,878 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $63,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp boosted their price target 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, UBS Group raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.22. The company has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 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 dividend yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.