Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 48.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,183 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,328 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.6% in the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 6,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 177.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 30,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 19,517 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 165.0% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 107,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,770,000 after purchasing an additional 66,840 shares during the period. Beck Bode LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Beck Bode LLC now owns 180,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,677,000 after purchasing an additional 31,583 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 64,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,458,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $59.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,640,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,964,078. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $64.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.08.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 13.46%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.548 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $62.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.91.

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.