Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) PT Raised to $66.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $63.00 to $66.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.57.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $64.01 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $62.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39. 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 has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $65.64.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.548 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.