Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Posts Earnings Results, Hits Expectations

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. Xcel Energy updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.040-4.160 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Xcel Energy’s conference call:

• Xcel reported ongoing 2025 earnings of $3.80 per share, its 21st consecutive year meeting or exceeding ongoing guidance, and reaffirmed 2026 EPS guidance of $4.04–$4.16 with 6–8%+ long-term growth (9% average through 2030).
• Management plans to invest an excess of $60 billion over the next five years and updated the 2026–2030 plan to add ~7,000 MW of company-owned renewables, natural gas, and storage, plus a new 765 kV award that adds line-of-sight to $1.5 billion of additional investment.
• The data center pipeline was expanded—over 2 GW contracted now with targets of 3 GW by end-2026 and 6 GW by end-2027—management says this will extend sales and generation investment into the 2030s.
• Xcel announced strategic alliances with NextEra (co-development of generation, storage, interconnections) and GE Vernova (equipment/supply partnership and additional gas turbine orders), aiming to accelerate delivery and secure supply chain capacity.
• Wildfire-related legal exposure remains material—a $300 million Marshall settlement charge reduced 2025 GAAP results, and Smokehouse Creek liability low-end updated to $430 million (with ~$382 million committed and ~$500 million insurance coverage), though some claims remain outstanding.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $76.35 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.46. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $83.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 29th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on XEL. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho set a $86.00 target price on Xcel Energy in a research report on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus upgraded Xcel Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.0% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,262,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,788,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,157,602 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 5.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,896,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,914,984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,752,296 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in Xcel Energy by 100.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,519,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $171,548,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,439 shares during the period. Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $64,362,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 31.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,012,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,158,000 after buying an additional 715,290 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Xcel Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Xcel Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 profit rose ~22% as higher electricity demand from data centers (AI-driven loads) helped boost results, supporting a growth narrative for utility demand tied to tech infrastructure. Reuters: Xcel Energy’s quarterly profit rises on AI-driven power demand
• Positive Sentiment: Year-over-year revenue rose ~14.1% and ongoing (adjusted) earnings benefited from increased recovery of infrastructure investments, indicating regulated business fundamentals and earnings quality are improving over time. BusinessWire: Xcel Energy 2025 Year End Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported EPS of $0.96 was essentially in line with consensus (MarketBeat/MSN note this as a match), providing some earnings stability despite revenue pressures. MSN: Xcel Energy matches Q4 earnings forecasts and maintains 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call and posted slides/transcript — useful for forward commentary on capex, rate recovery and customer demand trends. Yahoo Finance: Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed Street estimates ($3.56B vs. ~$3.77B expected) and the quarter showed rising operating and financing costs, which compress near‑term margins and are a key reason for the stock weakness. Zacks: Xcel Energy Q4 Earnings and Revenues Lag Estimates, Expenses Rise
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was set to $4.040–$4.160, a narrow range that sits ~at/just below some analyst expectations — the slightly cautious tilt and elevated costs could limit upside near term. Xcel slide deck / press release (guidance)

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.