Machina Capital S.A.S. Sells 20,396 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Machina Capital S.A.S. decreased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 83.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,125 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,396 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $68.00 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.89 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $39.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $67.57 and a 200-day moving average of $66.50.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. 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 payout ratio is currently 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.