Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on XEL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $79.00 price target on Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.82.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.58. 2,994,500 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,589,632. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.59 and a 200-day moving average of $68.15. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $51.97 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The stock has a market cap of $40.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The company had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 12.0% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the company's stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 12.6% in the third quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,795 shares of the company's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $532,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently 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.