Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Price

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $75.00 to $78.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on XEL. Barclays cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.70.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $70.09 on Thursday. 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 $40.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average is $68.09 and its 200 day moving average is $66.96. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $51.58 and a 1 year high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Xcel Energy by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 124,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,799 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 9.6% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 75,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,944,000 after purchasing an additional 6,620 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 7,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 7.9% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 12,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at $462,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.