Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $74.00 to $72.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.91% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 0.0 %

Xcel Energy stock opened at $71.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $40.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.38. 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 has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $71.79. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $65.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.78.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 9.1% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after buying an additional 8,790 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 165.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 107,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,770,000 after buying an additional 66,840 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 21.6% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 61,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,267,000 after buying an additional 10,851 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 60.3% during the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 22,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after buying an additional 8,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 83.5% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,103,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,954,000 after buying an additional 502,231 shares during the last quarter. 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.