Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL Position Lifted by Socorro Asset Management LP

Socorro Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,154 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,953 shares during the period. Xcel Energy comprises 3.8% of Socorro Asset Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Socorro Asset Management LP’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $8,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Xcel Energy by 365.3% in the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 349 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $80.71 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.34. The firm has a market cap of $50.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.16 and a 12-month high of $84.23.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91. The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.21 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 10.37%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $92.65.

Xcel Energy Profile

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.