Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Receives $66.31 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $66.62.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. 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 research report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ XEL opened at $72.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.14. Xcel Energy has a 12 month low of $46.79 and a 12 month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. Xcel Energy’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the second quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.