Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.57

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of 0.57 per share on Sunday, April 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55.

Xcel Energy has increased its dividend by an average of 6.2% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 21 years. Xcel Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 52.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Xcel Energy to earn $4.14 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.19 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 52.9%.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ XEL traded down $0.48 on Wednesday, reaching $69.97. The stock had a trading volume of 3,907,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,410,919. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.91. Xcel Energy has a 12-month low of $46.79 and a 12-month high of $73.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. 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 (NASDAQ:XEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Xcel Energy will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XEL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.91.

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.