Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Increased to $73.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $68.00 to $73.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 13.72% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Argus upgraded 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 note on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $64.14.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $64.19. 2,882,529 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,276,862. The stock has a market cap of $35.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. 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 fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $64.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.15.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm 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 business's revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.3% in the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Epiq Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 29,072 shares of the company's stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,054 shares of the company's stock worth $863,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,249 shares of the company's stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.0% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 12,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.