Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,942 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in Xcel Energy by 12.0% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 82,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,910,000 after buying an additional 18,489 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $1,124,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $70.73 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.70. The stock has a market cap of $40.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders 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 represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on XEL. UBS Group raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.