Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Lowered to $80.00 at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has lowered its price target for Xcel Energy from $81.00 to $80.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating, indicating a potential upside of 3.64% from the last close.
• Other analysts, including Bank of America and Mizuho, have increased their price targets for Xcel Energy, with the average price target now at $78.55 and a majority rating the stock as a "Buy."
• Xcel Energy recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.75, surpassing analyst estimates, with revenue for the quarter up by 8.6% compared to the previous year.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $81.00 to $80.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.64% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Xcel Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $73.00 to $80.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $78.55.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $77.19. 5,483,235 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,840,367. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $62.12 and a 12-month high of $78.80. The company has a market cap of $45.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.38.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company's stock worth $33,437,000 after acquiring an additional 73,036 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $2,735,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $905,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth about $329,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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