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Xcel Energy (XEL) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Xcel Energy logo
$81.92 +0.42 (+0.52%)
As of 11:10 AM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

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

Consensus Rating

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, 15 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for XEL.

Consensus Price Target

$90.71
10.72% Upside
According to the 17 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Xcel Energy, the average price target is $90.71. The highest price target for XEL is $99.00, while the lowest price target for XEL is $77.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 10.72% from the current price of $81.92.
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

TypeCurrent Forecast
11/13/25 to 11/13/26
1 Month Ago
10/14/25 to 10/14/26
3 Months Ago
8/15/25 to 8/15/26
1 Year Ago
11/13/24 to 11/13/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
15 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
Hold
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$90.71$91.63$93.00$87.47
Forecasted Upside10.72% Upside21.59% Upside17.47% Upside9.14% Upside
Consensus RatingBuyBuyBuyBuy

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.
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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.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Xcel Energy Stock vs. The Competition

TypeXcel EnergyUtilities CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
3.00
2.43
2.52
Consensus RatingBuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside11.30% Upside35.81% Upside13.83% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent XEL News
Positive News
Positive News
Report Date
0 Results
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
11/3/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
2 of 5 stars
 UpgradeBuy (B-) ➝ Buy (B)
11/2/2026
Barclays PLC logo
Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Boost TargetOverweight$85.00 ➝ $94.00+18.49%
10/30/2026
BTIG Research logo
BTIG Research
3 of 5 stars
Alex Kania
Alex Kania
2 of 5 stars
Set Target$92.00+16.40%
10/22/2026Initiated CoverageBuy$89.00+15.92%
10/21/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$83.00 ➝ $85.00+10.63%
10/20/2026Lower TargetOutperform$91.00 ➝ $86.00+12.09%
10/20/2026 Set Target$86.00+12.09%
10/20/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$101.00 ➝ $99.00+31.75%
10/15/2026 Lower Target$95.00 ➝ $93.00+19.91%
10/14/2026Lower TargetBuy$88.00 ➝ $87.00+16.94%
10/13/2026Lower TargetOverweight$90.00 ➝ $87.00+17.30%
10/13/2026Lower TargetOverweight$97.00 ➝ $92.00+18.62%
9/29/2026Initiated CoverageSector Outperform$77.00+10.97%
7/31/2026Set TargetOutperform$91.00 ➝ $92.00+17.17%
7/6/2026 Boost Target$91.00 ➝ $96.00+23.76%
6/23/2026 Set Target$91.00+14.93%
5/4/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform$93.00 ➝ $96.00+16.69%
3/12/2026Set Target$86.00+6.17%
11/3/2025Boost TargetBuy$80.00 ➝ $92.00+13.34%
10/31/2025 Boost Target$84.00 ➝ $90.00+16.05%
10/16/2025 Initiated CoverageBuy$93.00+13.69%
9/25/2025Boost TargetBuy$78.00 ➝ $84.00+7.79%
4/25/2025Set TargetOverweight$78.00+12.10%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Friday at 11:11 AM 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 Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Xcel Energy pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Xcel Energy
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

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

  • The stock is currently trading at $81.10, which is significantly below the consensus price target of $90.71 set by Wall Street analysts, suggesting substantial upside potential for investors who believe the market is undervaluing the company's future earnings.
  • Xcel Energy Inc. recently beat analyst expectations in its most recent quarterly report, delivering earnings per share of $1.52 compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39, demonstrating strong operational performance and profitability with a net margin of 17.94%.
  • The company offers a stable dividend yield of 2.96%, providing a reliable income stream for investors, which is particularly attractive given the defensive nature of the utility sector and the company's low beta of 0.34 that indicates lower volatility compared to the broader market.
  • Institutional investors are showing renewed confidence in the stock, with Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increasing its stake by 1.9% in the third quarter and Barclays raising its price target to $94.00 with an overweight rating, signaling strong professional endorsement of the company's outlook.
  • Xcel Energy Inc. is actively modernizing its infrastructure and expanding its energy grid through significant capital investments, including the issuance of $2.5 billion in convertible notes, which positions the company to meet growing electricity demand and drive long-term economic growth in the communities it serves.

Xcel Energy
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • The company's debt-to-equity ratio stands at 1.43, indicating a high level of leverage that could pressure financial flexibility and increase risk exposure, especially as the company takes on additional debt through its recent $2.5 billion convertible notes offering.
  • Short interest in Xcel Energy Inc. has been rising, with shares shorted increasing to 46,055,289 in the most recent reporting period, suggesting that a significant portion of the market is betting against the stock's future performance.
  • The stock's current price of $81.10 is below its 50-day moving average of $74.94 and 200-day moving average of $78.29, indicating that the stock may be in a downtrend or facing technical resistance that could limit near-term gains.
  • Xcel Energy Inc. has a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.61, both of which are below 1.0, suggesting that the company may face challenges in meeting its short-term financial obligations with its liquid assets.
  • The company's revenue for the most recent quarter was $4.17 billion, which fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $4.26 billion, indicating potential issues with top-line growth or demand that could impact future earnings stability.

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 $90.71, with a high forecast of $99.00 and a low forecast of $77.00.

17 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Xcel Energy in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 hold rating, 15 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating 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 10.72% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Xcel Energy's stock had 3 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

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.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Xcel Energy analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 11/3/2026.
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