Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives $69.91 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.91.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $68.00 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $67.57 and a 200 day moving average of $66.50. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $49.89 and a 52 week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.28%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,401,901,000 after buying an additional 6,306,380 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% in the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,609,000 after acquiring an additional 3,454,700 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 379.3% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182,939 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.