Old Port Advisors Sells 225 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Old Port Advisors reduced its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,607 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.17.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.46 on Thursday, hitting $67.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 547,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,096,642. The company’s 50-day moving average is $68.41 and its 200 day moving average is $62.56. The firm has a market cap of $38.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $73.38. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.99%.

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.