OneAscent Financial Services LLC Invests $257,000 in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

OneAscent Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

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

Xcel Energy Trading Down 5.9 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.89 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.96 and a 200 day moving average of $67.45. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

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.