Aviva PLC Lowers Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Aviva PLC trimmed its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL – Get Rating) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,011 shares of the company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Old North State Trust LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $26,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $42,000. 77.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.50.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $65.93 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $69.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.89 and a 12 month high of $77.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $4.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.78% and a net margin of 11.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.40%.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In related news, SVP Frank P. Prager sold 737 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $47,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Frank P. Prager sold 737 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $47,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,100. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy John O’connor sold 15,625 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.59, for a total transaction of $1,087,343.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $452,195.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xcel Energy Profile

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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.