Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.90.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price objective on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $68.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.90.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 6,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 9,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 31,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,096,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.