Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Holdings Lifted by Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 827 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 156 shares during the quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $56,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,404,000 after purchasing an additional 12,477 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $278,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 64.4% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10,821 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $301,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.11 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.58 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.02.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.30.

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.