Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $78.00 to $77.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.55% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also commented on XEL. UBS Group raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.80.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.5%

XEL stock traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,825,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,590,162. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.65. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 14.10%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $240,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,568 shares of the company's stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 6,382 shares of the company's stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 84,623 shares of the company's stock worth $5,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,797 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.