Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $84.9167.

Several brokerages have commented on XEL. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.1%

XEL opened at $81.28 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $75.57 and its 200 day moving average is $71.78. Xcel Energy has a fifty-two week low of $62.58 and a fifty-two week high of $83.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 18.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,437,000 after purchasing an additional 73,036 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth about $2,735,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth about $905,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth about $329,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth about $267,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.