Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Grows Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,068,140 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,053 shares during the quarter. Xcel Energy accounts for 1.5% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $128,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of XEL traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.14. 1,318,188 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,349,101. The stock has a market cap of $30.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $53.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.04. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $70.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 13.36%. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. Xcel Energy’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.05%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on XEL. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.83.

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.