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

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.31.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on XEL shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $71.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $65.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.75. Xcel Energy has a fifty-two week low of $46.79 and a fifty-two week high of $71.79. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integris Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 2.7% in the third quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 2.9% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.