Q1 EPS Estimates for Xcel Energy Boosted by Zacks Research

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) – Zacks Research raised their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Xcel Energy in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, March 27th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.95 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.94. 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 Q2 2025 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.50 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.13 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.44 EPS.

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

Several other research firms also recently commented on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. KeyCorp raised their price target on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

XEL stock opened at $70.72 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.37. Xcel Energy has a twelve month low of $51.97 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased 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 $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Xcel Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $430,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 399,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,961,000 after acquiring an additional 12,646 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 4,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.