KeyCorp Trims Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Target Price to $65.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price decreased by KeyCorp from $68.00 to $65.00 in a research note published on Friday, Benzinga reports. KeyCorp currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Xcel Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Barclays upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and cut their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL stock opened at $54.72 on Friday. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $71.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $54.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.14.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.02). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 12.47% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 68.22%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.