Tradition Wealth Management LLC Grows Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,244 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,527 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of XEL. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the 4th 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. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after buying an additional 3,905 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.13 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released 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%. On average, analysts predict 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. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased 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 owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.