UBS Group Increases Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Price Target to $73.00

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) had its price target increased by investment analysts at UBS Group from $70.00 to $73.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 5.63% from the company’s previous close.

XEL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL opened at $69.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $39.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.05.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish acquired 2,170 shares of Xcel Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at $207,272.51. This trade represents a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after acquiring an additional 42,001 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $278,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 64.4% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.38% of the company’s stock.

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.