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

Key Points

• Xcel Energy Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from ten brokerages, with eight analysts giving it a buy rating and a one-year price target of $76.80.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $0.75 earnings per share compared to an estimate of $0.66, marking an 8.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Institutional investors own approximately 78.38% of Xcel Energy's stock, indicating strong support from large financial entities.

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.80.

XEL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 12.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 161,262 shares of the company's stock worth $11,079,000 after purchasing an additional 17,477 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.0% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 26,805 shares of the company's stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 3,090 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth $374,000. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 12,120 shares of the company's stock worth $890,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $72.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $42.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.35. Xcel Energy has a 1-year low of $62.12 and a 1-year high of $74.57.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. The company's 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is 63.16%.

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.

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