Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives $75.90 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $75.90.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. GenTrust LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 2.1%

XEL stock opened at $67.62 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.85. The company has a market cap of $39.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $51.97 and a fifty-two week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 67.06%.

About Xcel Energy

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.