Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,958,134 shares of the company’s stock after selling 92,572 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.34% of Xcel Energy worth $132,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $127,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 48,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 16,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 16,388 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $230,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 1,265.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 839,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,797,000 after buying an additional 777,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 18,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XEL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 5.9 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.89 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $68.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted 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%. Equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase 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 3.36%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

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.