Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $88.1333.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $81.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BTIG Research set a $94.00 price objective on Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in Xcel Energy by 168.4% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 394.5% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth about $32,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $81.59 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.79. Xcel Energy has a fifty-two week low of $65.21 and a fifty-two week high of $83.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.47. The company has a market capitalization of $48.26 billion, a PE ratio of 23.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.45.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96. The business had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 10.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.040-4.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 29th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

About Xcel Energy

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.