Sigma Planning Corp Has $884,000 Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,091 shares of the company’s stock after selling 318 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. 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 twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.91.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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 expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

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.