Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Rating Increased to Buy (B-) at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Xcel Energy has been upgraded to a Buy (B-) rating by Weiss Ratings, reflecting improved confidence in the company's stock performance.
• Several analysts have raised their target prices for Xcel Energy, with an average target now at $86.23 and a consensus rating of "Buy."
• The company reported earnings of $0.75 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and showing an 8.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research raised shares of Xcel Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted 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, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $86.23.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $80.42. 1,661,856 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,904,398. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $62.58 and a 52 week high of $83.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. 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 posted $0.54 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 19,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Warwick Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.9% in the third quarter. Warwick Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 1.7% in the second quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 8,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 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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