Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Xcel Energy in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will earn $0.62 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.59. The consensus estimate for Xcel Energy’s current full-year earnings is $3.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Xcel Energy’s FY2026 earnings at $4.14 EPS.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (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%.

XEL has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.10.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of XEL stock opened at $68.73 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $39.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. Xcel Energy has a 1 year low of $50.76 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.63.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.28%.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,762,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,401,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,306,380 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 118.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,608,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,175,000 after purchasing an additional 3,581,436 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 1,625.7% in the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,667,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,609,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454,700 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 236.7% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,878,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,429,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Xcel Energy by 379.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,022,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,578,000 after buying an additional 3,182,939 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.