Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $87.1429.

Several analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group set a $85.00 price objective on Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, November 20th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 35.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,438,000 after buying an additional 9,355 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,211,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,042,000 after buying an additional 299,484 shares during the period. Electron Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 93.7% in the 1st quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,921,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,033,000 after acquiring an additional 929,516 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $317,000. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 22.5% during the second quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 31,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,177,000 after acquiring an additional 5,872 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $79.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $62.58 and a twelve month high of $83.01. The company has a market capitalization of $46.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current 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.