Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.80.

Several research firms recently weighed in on XEL. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter valued at $50,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL traded down $0.69 on Friday, reaching $67.19. 674,906 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,591,440. The firm has a market cap of $38.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $69.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.61. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $51.97 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 14.10%. Xcel Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's payout ratio is 67.06%.

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.