Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC

Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,496 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $68.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $39.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

About Xcel Energy

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.