Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Barclays from $72.00 to $73.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's target price indicates a potential upside of 2.37% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.10.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 3.4 %

Xcel Energy stock traded up $2.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $71.31. The company had a trading volume of 2,113,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,589,664. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.88. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.

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