Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Given New $72.00 Price Target at Barclays

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective lifted by Barclays from $69.00 to $72.00 in a research report report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.60.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.79 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $40.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.32. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xcel Energy news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,272.51. This 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 through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 23,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 3,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 827 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.