Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by Zions Bancorporation N.A.

Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 131,594 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,708 shares during the period. Xcel Energy accounts for about 0.6% of Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $8,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 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. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $68.86 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.12. The company has a market capitalization of $39.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays dropped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp raised 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy 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.