Q1 EPS Estimates for Xcel Energy Increased by Zacks Research

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Xcel Energy in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 27th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will earn $0.95 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.94. The consensus estimate for Xcel Energy’s current full-year earnings is $3.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Xcel Energy’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.50 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.13 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.44 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.72 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 28,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 97,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,360,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 11.0% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 99,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,489,000 after purchasing an additional 9,821 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 147.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 158,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,318,000 after buying an additional 94,080 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 66.28%.

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.