Other operating and maintenance (O&M) expenses for fourth-quarter 2022 increased by $6.6 million from the year-ago level due to inflationary pressures on labor-related costs, professional services, vehicle fuel and supplies and to a lesser extent, the timing of performance-based variable compensation accrual. Xcel Energy Inc. XEL posted fourth-quarter 2022 operating earnings of 69 cents per share, on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time.