Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $63.08.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Xcel Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $53.76 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $71.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $54.23 and a 200 day moving average of $58.14.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.02). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 12.47% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.22%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.