FourThought Financial Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.45 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $40.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average of $67.20 and a 200 day moving average of $65.91. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.