Matrix Trust Co Takes Position in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Matrix Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,310,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 168.4% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 394.5% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Argus set a $86.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Mizuho set a $86.00 price objective on Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $93.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $85.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.44.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of XEL stock opened at $77.93 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.09. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $84.23. The stock has a market cap of $48.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.79, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.96. The firm had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 13.76%.The business’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.30%.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.