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

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.80.

XEL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,818,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,296,377,000 after buying an additional 986,170 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 31.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,809,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,827,090,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109,190 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,811,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,473,228,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520,092 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Xcel Energy by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,613,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,189,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,422,483 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $72.39 on Thursday. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $56.69 and a 52-week high of $73.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $69.02 and its 200 day moving average is $69.00. The company has a market cap of $41.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.36.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

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.