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 target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.47% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays cut 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.30.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock traded down $0.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $69.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,517,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,291,558. Xcel Energy has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $73.38. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Devin W. Stockfish purchased 2,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.93 per share, for a total transaction of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after buying an additional 42,001 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 64.4% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 27,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after buying an additional 10,821 shares during the period. Finally, GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.