Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Raised to $71.00 at Barclays

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $67.00 to $71.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.62.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $71.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $41.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.05. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $72.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth about $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth $35,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.