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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.00.

Several research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

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 acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $39.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.88. 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 has a 1-year low of $51.97 and a 1-year high of $73.38.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

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.