Sigma Planning Corp Has $884,000 Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,091 shares of the company’s stock after selling 318 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.45 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.91. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

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.