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

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $87.00.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $92.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho set a $86.00 target price on Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 9th.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ XEL opened at $76.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.26 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $76.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $83.01.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 13.46%.The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Xcel Energy’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 29th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 30.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 48,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,434,000 after buying an additional 14,029 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 22,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,501,000 after buying an additional 1,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.