3,189 Shares in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Acquired by Avestar Capital LLC

Avestar Capital LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $114,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 558,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,493,000 after purchasing an additional 11,975 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 308,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,174,000 after acquiring an additional 13,352 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,702,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 44.0% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 3,052 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.62.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $72.92 on Friday. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.06 and a 200 day moving average of $60.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.