Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,238 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered 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 report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.76 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $67.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

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.