LVW Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

LVW Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 167.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,502 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,822 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Gateway Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $66.72 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $68.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.58. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. Xcel Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 64.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Xcel Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.67.

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.