Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 27,252 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 483,337 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,252 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $25,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heritage Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $62.91 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $64.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $34.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $57.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.30.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.92.

About Xcel Energy

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.