Xcel Energy (XEL) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$76.59 +0.87 (+1.14%)

As of 01:05 PM Eastern

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Xcel Energy - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Buy

Based on 17 Analyst Ratings

Sell
0

Hold
1

Buy
16

Based on 17 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Xcel Energy in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy." Out of the 17 analysts, 1 has given a hold rating, 14 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for XEL.

Consensus Price Target

$92.41
20.66% Upside

According to the 17 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Xcel Energy, the average price target is $92.41. The highest price target for XEL is $102.00, while the lowest price target for XEL is $84.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 20.66% from the current price of $76.59.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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XEL Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/8/25 to 9/8/26	1 Month Ago 8/9/25 to 8/9/26	3 Months Ago 6/10/25 to 6/10/26	1 Year Ago 9/8/24 to 9/8/25
Strong Buy	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	14 Buy rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)
Hold	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)
Sell	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$92.41	$92.76	$90.63	$76.80
Forecasted Upside	20.66% Upside	18.82% Upside	16.04% Upside	7.04% Upside
Consensus Rating	Buy	Buy	Buy	Moderate Buy

XEL Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

XEL Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Xcel Energy Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Xcel Energy	Utilities Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	3.06	2.36	2.53
Consensus Rating	Buy	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	20.58% Upside	61.04% Upside	14.75% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent XEL News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export

Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
8/21/2026	Morgan Stanley 3 of 5 stars	David Arcaro 3 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$92.00 ➝ $89.00	+15.54%
8/13/2026	Truist Financial 3 of 5 stars	Richard Sunderland Not Rated	Lower Target	Buy	$94.00 ➝ $88.00	+11.28%
7/31/2026	BTIG Research 3 of 5 stars		Reiterated Rating	Buy	$99.00	+26.09%
7/31/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Anthony Crowdell Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$92.00	+17.17%
7/22/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	James Thalacker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Outperform	$95.00 ➝ $92.00	+15.21%
7/16/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jeremy Tonet Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Overweight	$91.00 ➝ $102.00	+27.82%
7/9/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nicholas Campanella Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Overweight	$87.00 ➝ $90.00	+13.88%
7/7/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$101.00	+25.67%
6/23/2026	New Street Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$91.00	+14.93%
6/17/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy (B-)
Get the Latest News and Ratings for XEL and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Xcel Energy and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
6/8/2026	KeyCorp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sophie Karp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Overweight
5/4/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$96.00	+16.69%
4/20/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	William Appicelli Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$89.00 ➝ $91.00	+11.24%
3/12/2026	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Gary Hovis Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$86.00	+6.17%
1/23/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephen D'Ambrisi Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$95.00	+26.97%
11/3/2025	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ryan Levine Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$80.00 ➝ $92.00	+13.34%
10/16/2025	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Buy	$93.00	+13.69%
9/25/2025	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Julien Dumoulin-Smith Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$78.00 ➝ $84.00	+7.79%
4/25/2025	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	N. Kalton Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Overweight	$78.00	+12.10%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 01:05 PM ET.

Should I Buy Xcel Energy Stock? XEL Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, September 7, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Xcel Energy pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Xcel Energy
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Xcel Energy Inc.:

The stock is currently trading at $75.72, which is significantly below the average analyst price target of $92.41, suggesting substantial upside potential as the consensus rating remains a "Buy" from seventeen research firms.
Xcel Energy Inc. offers a stable income stream with a dividend yield of 3.13%, supported by a payout ratio of 64.93%, which indicates the company retains enough earnings to sustain its quarterly dividend payments to shareholders.
The company demonstrated strong earnings performance in the most recent quarter, reporting earnings per share of $0.93, which beat the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.14, signaling effective cost management and operational efficiency.
Institutional interest in the stock is growing, with major investors like Saudi Central Bank doubling its stake and UBS AM increasing its holdings by 14.0% in the second quarter, reflecting confidence in the company's long-term stability.
With a low beta of 0.39, the stock exhibits lower volatility compared to the broader market, making it an attractive defensive holding for investors seeking stability during periods of economic uncertainty.

Xcel Energy
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Xcel Energy Inc. for these reasons:

Revenue for the most recent quarter was $3.12 billion, falling short of the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion and declining 5.1% year-over-year, which raises concerns about the company's top-line growth trajectory.
The company carries a high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, indicating significant leverage that could pressure financial flexibility and increase vulnerability to rising interest rates or economic downturns.
Short interest has been rising, with shares shorted increasing to 40.7 million as of August 2026, suggesting that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's future performance.
The stock is trading below its 50-day moving average of $78.74 and 200-day moving average of $79.64, indicating that the current price trend is weaker than its medium and long-term averages.
The current ratio of 0.70 and quick ratio of 0.62 are both below 1.0, suggesting that the company may face challenges in meeting its short-term financial obligations with its available liquid assets.

XEL Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 17 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Xcel Energy is $92.41, with a high forecast of $102.00 and a low forecast of $84.00.

17 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Xcel Energy in the last year. There is currently 1 hold rating, 14 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "buy" XEL shares.

According to analysts, Xcel Energy's stock has a predicted upside of 20.66% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Xcel Energy has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, BTIG Research, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, New Street Research, Truist Financial, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Xcel Energy more than other "utilities" companies. The consensus rating for Xcel Energy is Buy while the average consensus rating for "utilities" companies is Hold. Learn more on how XEL compares to other companies.

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MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Xcel Energy analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 8/21/2026.

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Xcel Energy (XEL) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Xcel Energy - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

XEL Analyst Ratings Over Time

XEL Analyst Recommendations By Month

XEL Price Targets by Month

Xcel Energy Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Xcel Energy Stock? XEL Pros and Cons Explained

Xcel Energy
Bull Case

Xcel Energy
Bear Case

XEL Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

Top-Rated Stocks

More Ratings Tools

Brokerages With Xcel Energy Recommendations

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Xcel Energy (XEL) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Xcel Energy - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

XEL Analyst Ratings Over Time

XEL Analyst Recommendations By Month

XEL Price Targets by Month

Xcel Energy Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Xcel Energy Stock? XEL Pros and Cons Explained

Xcel Energy Bull Case

Xcel Energy Bear Case

XEL Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Xcel Energy's forecast for 2026?

Should I buy or sell Xcel Energy stock right now?

Does Xcel Energy's stock price have much upside?

What analysts cover Xcel Energy?

Do Wall Street analysts like Xcel Energy more than its competitors?

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

Top-Rated Stocks

More Ratings Tools

Brokerages With Xcel Energy Recommendations

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools

Xcel Energy
Bull Case

Xcel Energy
Bear Case