Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Issues Earnings Results, Meets Expectations

Key Points

• Xcel Energy reported Q1 EPS of $0.91, which met analysts' estimates and rose from $0.84 a year ago, but revenue of $4.02 billion missed the ~$4.19 billion consensus and FY‑2026 EPS guidance was set at $4.04–$4.16, slightly below the street.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5925 (annualized $2.37), implying a yield of ~2.9% and a dividend payout ratio around 69%.
• Shares surged to $82.95 on heavy volume; XEL trades at about a 24x P/E, has a market cap near $51.8B, and carries a consensus analyst price target of roughly $90.88 with mostly Buy ratings.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91, FiscalAI reports. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 13.76%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $4.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $82.95. The stock had a trading volume of 9,100,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,860,203. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $84.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.70.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.30%.

More Xcel Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Xcel Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 ongoing earnings of $0.91 per share matched consensus and rose from $0.84 a year ago, demonstrating earnings stability despite headwinds. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company cited stronger electricity sales and improved recovery of electric‑infrastructure investments as offsets to warm weather and financing cost pressure — supportive evidence for near‑term cash flow and rate recovery mechanisms. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call and released a slide deck with detailed drivers (weather variance, rate filings and capital program cadence); analysts will parse these details for FY cadence and regulatory risk. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write‑ups and presentations summarize key metrics and comparisons to estimates — useful for modeling but not immediately market‑moving beyond the EPS/revenue/guidance mix. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations — $4.02B reported vs. ~$4.19B consensus — signaling softer top‑line growth and the impact of warmer weather on volumetrics. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was updated to a range of $4.04–$4.16, which sits slightly below the street consensus (~$4.11) — a modest headwind for expectations and valuation. (Company guidance disclosed in earnings materials.)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst actions and price‑target moves (e.g., a recent small cut at Morgan Stanley) reflect a cautious stance on utility valuations and rate/financing risk — incremental downside to sentiment if revisions continue. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 1.7% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $593,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 5,485 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 4.8% during the third quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,185 shares of the company's stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Andra AP fonden raised its position in Xcel Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 17,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,309,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho set a $86.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BTIG Research set a $94.00 price target on Xcel Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.88.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

Xcel Energy NASDAQ: XEL is a Minneapolis-based, publicly traded utility holding company that develops, owns and operates regulated electricity and natural gas delivery systems. The company's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, the delivery of natural gas to customers, and related customer service operations. Xcel provides a mix of utility services to residential, commercial and industrial customers and participates in wholesale energy markets where appropriate.

Its generation portfolio combines nuclear, natural gas, coal and a growing share of renewable resources such as wind and solar.

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