Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other research firms have also commented on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Xcel Energy from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

XEL traded up $0.46 on Thursday, reaching $54.25. 3,285,090 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,238,203. The company has a market cap 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $69.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.94.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 293.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.