Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Given New $66.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) had its price target boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $63.00 to $66.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

XEL has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $64.57.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

XEL traded up $0.58 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $64.01. 2,590,230 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,154,439. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.34. The firm has a market cap of $35.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.64.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SageView Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $655,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 10,711 shares of the company's stock worth $669,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $688,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.5% in the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 3,820 shares of the company's stock worth $205,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.6% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 33,085 shares of the company's stock worth $1,778,000 after acquiring an additional 2,060 shares during the period. 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.