Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,051,708 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 52,322 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.19% of Xcel Energy worth $66,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on XEL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $54.25. The stock had a trading volume of 3,285,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,238,203. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.89. The firm has a market cap of $30.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $69.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.03%. Xcel Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

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.