BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Decreases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lessened its stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 54.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,373 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,406 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $642,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $54.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $54.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.52. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $66.15. The stock has a market cap of $30.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.36.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.05%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on XEL. TheStreet lowered shares of Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.