Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Given New $80.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $81.00 to $80.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $73.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.64.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $79.28 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $73.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.52. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $62.12 and a 1 year high of $79.41. The stock has a market cap of $46.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. Xcel Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.850 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 202.2% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake in Xcel Energy by 62.9% in the second quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 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.