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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.91.

XEL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $278,000. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 85.0% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $301,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $66.88 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $67.35 and a 200 day moving average of $65.01. The company has a market cap of $38.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a dividend of $0.5475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

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.