Headlands Technologies LLC Raises Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,432 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,833 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $1,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Epiq Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 29,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.3% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 12,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 3,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.92.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $63.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $58.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.33. The company has a market capitalization of $35.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $64.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

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.