Insider Buying: Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Director Buys 2,170 Shares of Stock

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $68.85. The stock had a trading volume of 3,353,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,695,590. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $39.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $67.63 and its 200 day moving average is $66.63. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $50.76 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.10.

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.