Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Given New $77.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective hoisted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 8.99% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on XEL. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.65. 377,243 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,577,167. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.32. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $51.97 and a 52-week high of $73.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 11.0% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 99,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,489,000 after buying an additional 9,821 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,219,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $647,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $127,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 48,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 16,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 16,388 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.