Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $5.16 Million Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,390 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,873 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 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 quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.