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

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $62.92.

XEL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $63.84 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $35.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $64.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.46.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.77%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $896,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 643,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,614,000 after purchasing an additional 121,118 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 419,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,947,000 after purchasing an additional 29,307 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,625,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,372,000 after purchasing an additional 38,653 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $9,120,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.