Employees Retirement System of Texas Has $40.18 Million Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Employees Retirement System of Texas cut its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,510 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,410 shares during the quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $40,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,831,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,985,136,000 after acquiring an additional 953,002 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,291,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,302,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022,194 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,189,246,000 after acquiring an additional 2,422,483 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,178,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,029,223,000 after acquiring an additional 616,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,175,000 after purchasing an additional 3,581,436 shares during 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 $67.89 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. 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 stock has a market cap of $39.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $68.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.49.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought 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 approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.