BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC Takes $264,000 Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Sharkey Howes & Javer acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $217,000. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 42,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,846,000 after acquiring an additional 2,328 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $389,000. Fortress Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 4,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $72.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $41.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 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 50-day moving average price of $67.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.11.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued 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%. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp increased 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.