7,685 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Purchased by Farringdon Capital Ltd.

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 7,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $519,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.13 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.32 and a 200-day moving average of $67.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The firm has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

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.