Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Raised to $73.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price lifted by UBS Group from $70.00 to $73.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on XEL. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $69.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $73.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $68.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Sell-side analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Xcel Energy

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.