Brokerages Set Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Target Price at $69.17

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.17.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares during the period. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 85.0% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 231,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,116,000 after purchasing an additional 106,326 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 112.7% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 31,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,697,000 after buying an additional 16,834 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 393.0% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 317,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,708,000 after acquiring an additional 252,793 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ XEL opened at $68.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.97. The stock has a market cap of $39.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.41. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Xcel Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th will be issued a $0.5475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.99%.

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.