Wrapmanager Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Wrapmanager Inc. cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 345 shares during the period. Wrapmanager Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $278,000. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,116,000 after purchasing an additional 106,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.91. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XEL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three investment 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, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.