Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

StockNews.com cut shares of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $59.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Wolfe Research raised Xcel Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Barclays raised Xcel Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and cut their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Shares of XEL opened at $55.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $30.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $54.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.14. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $71.32.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.02). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 12.47% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The company had revenue of $3.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.548 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is presently 68.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. 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.