Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Romano Brothers AND Company

Romano Brothers AND Company cut its position in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,862 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $448,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of XEL. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $30,000. American National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL opened at $65.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $62.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.74. The stock has a market cap of $36.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. Analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.548 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Argus raised shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.54.

Xcel Energy Company 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.