Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives $76.00 Average PT from Brokerages

Key Points

• Xcel Energy Inc. has been rated as a "Moderate Buy" by eleven rating firms, with eight giving buy recommendations and three recommending a hold.
• The average twelve-month price target for Xcel Energy stock is $76.00, reflecting potential growth from its current trading price of around $74.26.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57, yielding approximately 3.1% based on an annualized basis.

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.80.

XEL has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $72.39. 3,003,393 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,622,319. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.98. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $60.66 and a one year high of $74.57. The company has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 202.2% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 62.9% in the 2nd quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 518 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.