Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC Purchases 2,727 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,928 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,727 shares during the period. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $278,000. Royal Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 39,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after buying an additional 3,108 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 7,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Priebe Wealth Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Priebe Wealth Holdings LLC now owns 3,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on XEL. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $67.68 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.37 and its 200-day moving average is $63.75. The firm has a market cap of $38.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 64.99%.

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.