4,946 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Acquired by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth about $35,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.72 on Thursday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.69.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Xcel Energy’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.00.

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.