Analysts Set Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Target Price at $69.64

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.91.

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,143,025 shares of the company's stock worth $2,445,477,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323,448 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,190,756 shares of the company's stock valued at $991,956,000 after buying an additional 892,740 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company's stock valued at $952,091,000 after buying an additional 262,191 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,777,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,023,000 after buying an additional 11,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,625,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,817,000 after buying an additional 208,233 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock traded down $0.52 on Thursday, reaching $66.60. The stock had a trading volume of 3,797,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,566,094. The stock has a market cap of $38.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 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. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.95.

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

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

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.