Viking Fund Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Viking Fund Management LLC lowered its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. Xcel Energy comprises 1.7% of Viking Fund Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Viking Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $10,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $67.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

Xcel Energy Company 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.