Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL – Get Rating) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,968 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Old North State Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $26,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Burleson & Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 77.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy
In other news, SVP Frank P. Prager sold 737 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $47,905.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 29,340 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,100. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.
Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.2 %
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 11.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Xcel Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.62%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on XEL. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $76.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $62.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.30.
Xcel Energy Profile
Xcel Energy, Inc operates as a holding company engaged in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity primarily in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico.
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