Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Purchased by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 107.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 105,979 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 54,967 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $6,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $991,956,000 after acquiring an additional 892,740 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,417,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,170,000 after purchasing an additional 67,820 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 120.2% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,095,000 after buying an additional 1,299,025 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 130.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,325,000 after buying an additional 1,179,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,854,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,046,000 after buying an additional 174,653 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $72.56 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $66.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.62.

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.