Syon Capital LLC Purchases New Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Syon Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. TheStreet lowered Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.58.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $53.96 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $53.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.07. The company has a market capitalization of $29.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $70.72.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

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.