Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $64.36.

A number of equities analysts have commented on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 770.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,552,625 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,955,000 after acquiring an additional 6,684,499 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,186,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,264,000 after purchasing an additional 74,690 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 120.2% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company's stock worth $127,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,025 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 130.4% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company's stock worth $111,325,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,854,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,046,000 after buying an additional 174,653 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.73. 3,052,012 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,206,958. The company has a market cap of $35.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $61.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.79. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $65.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.52 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is currently 65.77%.

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.