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

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price target upped by Barclays from $57.00 to $67.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

XEL has been the topic of several other reports. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.29.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ XEL opened at $63.43 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $35.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.62.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 13.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. &PARTNERS acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth $323,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,465,000. Epiq Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Epiq Partners LLC now owns 29,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the first quarter worth $5,504,000. Finally, First National Bank Sioux Falls grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 19.8% in the first quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.