Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $9.93 Million Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 147,016 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,001 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on XEL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

XEL opened at $68.61 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. 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 twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.36.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.