Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Bought by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 120.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,379,615 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,299,025 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.43% of Xcel Energy worth $127,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $63.89 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $58.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.45. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $64.43. 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 capitalization of $35.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. 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 (DPR) is currently 65.77%.

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.