Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) Announces $0.55 Quarterly Dividend

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, December 18th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th will be paid a dividend of 0.5475 per share on Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%.

Xcel Energy has increased its dividend payment by an average of 6.5% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 21 years. Xcel Energy has a payout ratio of 57.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Xcel Energy to earn $3.82 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.19 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 57.3%.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of Xcel Energy stock traded down $1.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $66.40. 5,286,312 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,108,240. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $38.13 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.64.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.62.

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.