Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 157,193 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,937 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $10,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $70.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.56.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

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.