Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 94.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,467 shares of the company’s stock after selling 797,677 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Integris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 168 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $67.68 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $68.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.75. The stock has a market cap of $38.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.