Bruce & Co. Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Bruce & Co. Inc. lowered its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 194,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the period. Xcel Energy makes up approximately 4.2% of Bruce & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Bruce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $13,133,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

XEL opened at $70.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $40.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.96. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 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.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 note on Thursday. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.70.

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.