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

Key Points

• Xcel Energy Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from twelve ratings firms, with three analysts recommending a hold and nine recommending a buy.
• The average twelve-month price target for Xcel Energy shares is $81.91, with several firms setting targets between $83.00 and $92.00.
• Xcel Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, representing an annual yield of 2.8%.

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $81.9091.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on XEL. Mizuho set a $83.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $84.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL opened at $80.16 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.40. The firm has a market cap of $47.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $62.35 and a twelve month high of $82.54. 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The business's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 60,971 shares of the company's stock worth $4,917,000 after acquiring an additional 785 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $292,000. Thomasville National Bank acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $325,000. Trust Point Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 11,008 shares of the company's stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 220,000 shares of the company's stock worth $17,743,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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