First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA Has $356,000 Stock Position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA reduced its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $105,000. Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $519,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1,562.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 58,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,920,000 after acquiring an additional 54,562 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lifelong Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $501,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38. 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 fifty day moving average price of $69.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.76.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.