Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. cut its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,213 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,030 shares during the period. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $5,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 185.2% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 34,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after buying an additional 22,701 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 63,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,490 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 11.7% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 13,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7,432.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 506,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,074,000 after purchasing an additional 499,764 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

XEL stock opened at $69.94 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week 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. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.43.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.