Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.17.

Several analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $67.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Lantz Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 57.3% in the 2nd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 6,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $229,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $227,000. Finally, American National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.