Barclays Raises Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target to $67.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective boosted by Barclays from $57.00 to $67.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on XEL. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Xcel Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.54.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $65.11 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.97. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $46.79 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is 65.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Xcel Energy by 770.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,552,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,955,000 after buying an additional 6,684,499 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its position in Xcel Energy by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,186,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,264,000 after purchasing an additional 74,690 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 120.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,379,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,025 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Xcel Energy by 130.4% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,084,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,325,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Xcel Energy by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,854,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,046,000 after purchasing an additional 174,653 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.