E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Increases Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 35.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,197 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,161 shares during the quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.00 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $49.89 and a one year high of $73.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $67.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued 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 yield of 3.35%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of 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 decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.