Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) PT Raised to $69.00 at KeyCorp

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective boosted by KeyCorp from $66.00 to $69.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a hold rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $64.36.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XEL opened at $65.15 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $36.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. Xcel Energy has a 1-year low of $46.79 and a 1-year high of $65.64.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.548 per share. This is a positive change from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the second quarter worth about $37,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.