Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Buy”: Of 17 brokerages covering Xcel Energy, 14 rate it a buy, two a strong buy and one a sell. The average 12-month price target is $92.76, above the reported share price of $78.07.
• Quarterly earnings beat expectations: Xcel reported adjusted earnings of $0.93 per share, exceeding the $0.79 consensus estimate, although revenue of $3.12 billion fell short of expectations and declined 5.1% year over year.
• Dividend provides a 3.0% yield: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5925, or $2.37 annualized, with a payout ratio of 64.93%. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the stock.

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $92.7647.

A number of research firms recently commented on XEL. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $78.07 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $48.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.39. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $69.16 and a 1 year high of $84.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.55.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 15.28%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is currently 64.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 365.3% during the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 349 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 471 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth $39,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy NASDAQ: XEL is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.

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