Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL Stake Boosted by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 560,306 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,326 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.09% of Xcel Energy worth $45,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of XEL. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 168.4% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 202.2% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 98.8% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $76.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.68. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.21 and a twelve month high of $83.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $86.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Mizuho set a $86.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $87.00.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.