Recent Analysts’ Ratings Updates for Xcel Energy (XEL)

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL):

• 9/30/2024 – Xcel Energy had its price target raised by analysts at KeyCorp from $66.00 to $69.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 9/25/2024 – Xcel Energy had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $68.00 to $73.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 9/20/2024 – Xcel Energy had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $66.00 to $67.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 9/19/2024 – Xcel Energy is now covered by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc.. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock.
• 9/16/2024 – Xcel Energy had its price target raised by analysts at KeyCorp from $65.00 to $66.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/26/2024 – Xcel Energy was upgraded by analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $68.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/23/2024 – Xcel Energy had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $62.00 to $68.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $65.15 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.65. The firm has a market cap of $36.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 23.2% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 643,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,614,000 after purchasing an additional 121,118 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the first 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. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 24.8% in the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 100,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,427,000 after purchasing an additional 20,068 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 91.6% in the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 190,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,245,000 after purchasing an additional 91,100 shares during the period. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 3,424.0% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 16,598 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 16,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.