Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,809 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on XEL. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.94 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $40.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $67.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

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

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.