RWC Asset Management LLP Buys Shares of 151,181 Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

RWC Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 151,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,208,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 22,701 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 63,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,123,000 after buying an additional 2,490 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 7,432.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 506,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,074,000 after buying an additional 499,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management raised its position in Xcel Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 22,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.94 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.09 and its 200-day moving average is $65.73.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 63.66%.

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.