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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $88.4375.

XEL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $81.00 to $89.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $86.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BTIG Research set a $94.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 168.4% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Abound Wealth Management raised its position in Xcel Energy by 394.5% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 202.2% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $81.41 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.45. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $65.21 and a one year high of $84.23.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96. The business had revenue of $3.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 13.76%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.30%.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.