Fox Run Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 4,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $306,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Barclays decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

XEL stock opened at $69.32 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $68.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

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.