24,125 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Acquired by Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 24,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,629,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $278,000. GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $301,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $1,433,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 14,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock opened at $67.78 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.61. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $39.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Xcel Energy

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.