Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 9,378 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 187,234 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,378 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $12,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after buying an additional 22,701 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 113,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,416,000 after acquiring an additional 7,686 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.7% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.3% in the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

XEL opened at $67.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.79. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The stock has a market cap of $38.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. As a group, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were issued a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of 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 decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.