Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Raised to $71.00 at Barclays

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price lifted by equities research analysts at Barclays from $67.00 to $71.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 0.84% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.62.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $71.60 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $65.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.93. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $71.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $41.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. American National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.