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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $64.36.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

XEL stock opened at $64.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.71. The firm has a market cap of $35.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.34, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 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 valued at $34,614,000 after buying an additional 121,118 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised 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. raised 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 raised 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. raised 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. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Xcel Energy

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.