Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Sells 462 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,181 shares of the company’s stock after selling 462 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $40.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.49, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on XEL. Barclays upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.80.

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.