Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.30.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on XEL shares. Barclays lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $69.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $39.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.18. 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 $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in Xcel Energy by 44.0% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 3,052 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 558,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,493,000 after purchasing an additional 11,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $114,000. 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.