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

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $88.1333.

Several research firms have commented on XEL. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, February 6th.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $81.59 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.47. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $83.01. The company has a market cap of $48.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.96. The firm had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.83% and a net margin of 13.76%.The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.040-4.160 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 168.4% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Abound Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 394.5% during the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 202.2% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.