Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Upgraded to “Hold” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL stock opened at $54.25 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $46.79 and a 52 week high of $69.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $53.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.94.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 13.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.548 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.04%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its stake in Xcel Energy by 293.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.