Xcel Energy (XEL) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) is expected to release its earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, February 6th. Analysts expect Xcel Energy to post earnings of $0.87 per share and revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter. Parties that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Xcel Energy to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $4 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.84 on Thursday, hitting $66.91. 1,070,565 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,440,763. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The company has a market capitalization of $38.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $68.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.35.

Xcel Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $0.5475 dividend. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 6th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 64.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on XEL. Barclays cut their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Xcel Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.50.

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.