Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target Lowered to $72.00 at Morgan Stanley

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its target price dropped by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $74.00 to $72.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.67% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on XEL. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.31.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ XEL traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.52. 623,830 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,171,910. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. Xcel Energy has a one year low of $46.79 and a one year high of $71.78. The company’s 50-day moving average is $65.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.63. The company has a market capitalization of $41.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pitcairn Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $224,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $145,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 520,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,973,000 after buying an additional 50,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BOKF NA lifted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 24,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 3,806 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.