Brokerages Set Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target at $75.90

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.90.

Several analysts recently commented on XEL shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $78.00 price target on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,401,901,000 after buying an additional 6,306,380 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 31.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,809,978 shares of the company's stock worth $1,827,090,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109,190 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,175,000 after purchasing an additional 3,581,436 shares during the period. Zimmer Partners LP raised its position in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% in the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,609,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL stock traded up $0.10 on Wednesday, reaching $68.35. 464,244 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,563,288. The company has a market cap of $39.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $69.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.11). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.