Xcel Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:XEL)

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 3,781 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 49% compared to the typical volume of 2,541 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on XEL shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $91.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $101.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, New Street Research set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of XEL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,890,136,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,896,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,145,176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,770,356 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 1.7% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 29,933,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,403,680,000 after acquiring an additional 491,937 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,572,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,814,920,000 after acquiring an additional 3,546,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $891,688,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of XEL traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $72.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 946,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,243,237. The stock has a market cap of $45.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $75.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.16. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $68.72 and a 52 week high of $84.23.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 15.28%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.93%.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy Inc is a Minneapolis-based energy company that provides electricity and natural gas through regulated utility operations. Its businesses generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity, as well as distribute natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Through its operating companies, Xcel Energy serves customers in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. The company’s operations include a diverse generation portfolio featuring wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear, natural gas and other energy resources.