Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by Dean Investment Associates LLC

Dean Investment Associates LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,295 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,723 shares during the quarter. Xcel Energy makes up approximately 1.3% of Dean Investment Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $9,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

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.