Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Raised to $77.00 at UBS Group

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

XEL has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp boosted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.72 on Tuesday. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $51.97 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Transactions at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XEL. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.