Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 14th

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of 0.57 per share on Sunday, April 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55.

Xcel Energy has increased its dividend by an average of 6.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 21 years. Xcel Energy has a payout ratio of 52.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Xcel Energy to earn $4.14 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.19 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 52.9%.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $70.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.36 and its 200-day moving average is $65.97.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on XEL. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

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.