Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Acquired by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,068,140 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,053 shares during the quarter. Xcel Energy comprises about 1.5% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned approximately 0.37% of Xcel Energy worth $128,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 293.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,318,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,349,101. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.04. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $70.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.36.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.03%. Xcel Energy’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.77%.

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.