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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.17.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $63.37 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $68.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.42. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 64.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of XEL. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323,448 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $991,956,000 after purchasing an additional 892,740 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,091,000 after purchasing an additional 262,191 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,417,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,170,000 after acquiring an additional 67,820 shares during the period. Finally, Brookfield Corp ON lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 520.1% in the third quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 2,509,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,840,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104,405 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is 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.