Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $75.00 to $78.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.86% from the stock’s current price.

XEL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on 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 Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $69.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $51.58 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. Analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,401,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306,380 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,175,000 after buying an additional 3,581,436 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,609,000 after buying an additional 3,454,700 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,381,000 after buying an additional 3,429,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 379.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,578,000 after buying an additional 3,182,939 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.