Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $78.00 to $77.00 in a report 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 16.21% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 target price on Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.80.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.26. 1,153,111 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,570,860. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $69.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.73. The company has a market cap of $38.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 14.10%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,401,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306,380 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 31.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,809,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,827,090,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109,190 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock worth $446,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581,436 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP raised its position in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% during the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,609,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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