August 29, 2024
Top 10 Stock Xcel Energy Strong Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Xcel Energy – Top 10 Stock in Low Waste Leaders
Xcel Energy is listed as a top 10 stock on August 29, 2024 in the market index Low Waste because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 92 (top 92% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Xcel Energy on August 29, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Electric Utilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, Diversity USA, Human Rights, Low Waste, Nuclear, Recycling, NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Xcel Energy Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | August 29, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 55 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 62 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 100 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 92 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Xcel Energy are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for Xcel Energy. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 55, which means that the share price of Xcel Energy is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 55% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 55, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 62. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 100. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 92, Xcel Energy is better positioned than 92% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 55), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 55), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 62), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 100), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Xcel Energy is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Xcel Energy very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Xcel Energy is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Xcel Energy. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 72 (better than 72% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 68, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Xcel Energy. The Professional Investors rank is 100, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 100% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 98 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 98% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 100 (more positive than 100% compared with investment alternatives), Xcel Energy has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Xcel Energy stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: Xcel Energy Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), Xcel Energy shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Xcel Energy. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 58 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 58% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Xcel Energy's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 38, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 38% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 54% of alternatives (only 46% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 49% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on Xcel Energy's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Xcel Energy Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), Xcel Energy shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Xcel Energy. Sales Growth has a rank of 69 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 69% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 36% of competitors with a rank of 91. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 36, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 64% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 31. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Xcel Energy Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | August 29, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 42 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 72 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 55 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 62 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 62 (better than 62% compared with alternatives), the company Xcel Energy has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Xcel Energy is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Xcel Energy. Refinancing is at 72, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 72% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 55, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 55% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 42, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 58% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 62 (better than 62% compared with alternatives), Xcel Energy has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Xcel Energy could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Xcel Energy Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 29, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 55 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 55 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 64 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with investment alternatives), Xcel Energy (Electric Utilities, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Xcel Energy are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 55), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 62), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 64, is a buy recommendation based on Xcel Energy's financial characteristics. As the company Xcel Energy's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 55), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 62), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Xcel Energy. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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