Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on XEL. TheStreet cut shares of Xcel Energy from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.08.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL stock traded down $0.32 on Friday, hitting $53.17. 3,010,394 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,542,844. The firm has a market cap of $29.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $71.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 12.47% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $26,000. 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.