First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Boosts Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 52.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,581 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,312 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Analysts LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $54.25 on Monday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $69.85. The company has a market cap of $30.14 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.89.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy 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.