Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Stake Raised by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,043 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $301,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $68.92 on Thursday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month 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 stock has a market cap of $39.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.16.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its 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 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

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.