Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,839 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,032 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 18,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $214,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 241,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,753,000 after buying an additional 10,533 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 998 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,116,000 after buying an additional 106,326 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.46 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $69.90.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.38.

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.