Brokerages Set Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Target Price at $73.00

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.60.

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of XEL stock traded down $1.29 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $69.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,816,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,603,462. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $69.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.02. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $51.97 and a one year high of $73.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $39.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 67.06%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock worth $1,401,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in 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 period. Zimmer Partners LP grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,609,000 after buying an additional 3,454,700 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 379.3% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company's stock worth $271,578,000 after buying an additional 3,182,939 shares in 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.