Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Raised to Strong-Buy at BTIG Research

Key Points

• Xcel Energy has been upgraded to a strong-buy rating by BTIG Research, with other analysts also providing positive ratings and increasing target prices for the stock.
• The stock currently has a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $86.23, indicating strong market confidence.
• Xcel Energy reported a Q2 EPS of $0.75, exceeding expectations, and projected an EPS of 3.750-3.850 for FY 2025, showing growth potential.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BTIG Research to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $86.00 target price on shares of Xcel Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Cowen initiated coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $86.23.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $80.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Xcel Energy has a 1-year low of $62.58 and a 1-year high of $83.01. The stock has a market cap of $47.72 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $75.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.90.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%.The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 74,100 shares of the company's stock worth $5,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 129.7% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 9,559 shares of the company's stock worth $773,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 64.6% during the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,967 shares of the company's stock worth $2,820,000 after buying an additional 13,728 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gries Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.5% in the third quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 3,657 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

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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