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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.17.

Several brokerages have weighed in on XEL. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integris Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $67.40 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $38.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $67.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.83.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted 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). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Xcel Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5475 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.99%.

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.