Short Interest in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Rises By 27.0%

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 14,530,000 shares, a growth of 27.0% from the August 15th total of 11,440,000 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.2%

XEL opened at $72.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.24. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $62.12 and a 52 week high of $74.57. The company has a market capitalization of $42.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 63.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,437,000 after acquiring an additional 73,036 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,735,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $905,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $329,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.