Two Sigma Advisers LP Increases Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 140.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 638,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 372,200 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $43,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. GenTrust LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake 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 worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on XEL. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of 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 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $72.21 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $69.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $41.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 67.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Company 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.