D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $1.82 Million Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

D.A. Davidson & CO. trimmed its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,877 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,052 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $69.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $67.09 and its 200 day moving average is $65.68. The firm 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its 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%. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy 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.