Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) PT Raised to $57.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price lifted by Barclays from $56.00 to $57.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on XEL. StockNews.com cut Xcel Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of XEL opened at $54.25 on Tuesday. Xcel Energy has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $69.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.14 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s fifty day moving average is $53.34 and its 200 day moving average is $57.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.36% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.04%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.