First Command Advisory Services Inc. Takes Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $154,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 22,701 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 180,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,756,000 after purchasing an additional 33,752 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 3,730 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 41.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 13,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $870,000 after acquiring an additional 3,923 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on XEL. Barclays cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.76 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.36 and a 200 day moving average of $65.97. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced 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 net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

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.