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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Saturday.

XEL has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Barclays upgraded Xcel Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $54.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Xcel Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $54.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average of $54.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.15. The stock has a market cap of $30.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.36. Xcel Energy has a 52-week low of $46.79 and a 52-week high of $71.32.

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

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.548 dividend. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s payout ratio is currently 68.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.