Polymer Capital Management US LLC Buys New Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 106,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,223,000. Xcel Energy accounts for 2.0% of Polymer Capital Management US LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,404,000 after purchasing an additional 12,477 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $301,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on XEL. UBS Group upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $67.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.49. The company has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Xcel Energy Company 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.