Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 49,882 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,110 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323,448 shares during the last quarter. Brookfield Corp ON increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 520.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 2,509,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,840,000 after buying an additional 2,104,405 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $83,653,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 440.2% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,455,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,186,427 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,302,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022,194 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.72 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.22.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (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 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.