Westpac Banking Corp Has $3.61 Million Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. $XEL

Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 43.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,787 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $3,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of XEL. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 168.4% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 202.2% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.4%

XEL stock opened at $83.55 on Thursday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a one year low of $65.21 and a one year high of $84.18. The stock has a market cap of $49.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $76.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 10.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.5925 dividend. 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. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Xcel Energy from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Three investment 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 MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $88.60.

Xcel Energy Company 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.