Asset Dedication LLC Lowers Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Asset Dedication LLC decreased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 92.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,988 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $34,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 76,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,158,000 after purchasing an additional 7,873 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 10,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 3,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.86 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.02 and a 200-day moving average of $64.35. 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 quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.64.

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.