Xcel Energy Earnings Preview: Revenue, Earnings Expected to Fall from Previous Quarter - ALLETE (NYSE:ALE), Black Hills (NYSE:BKH)

Xcel Energy XEL announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, July 28, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Thursday's second quarter earnings announcement.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects a EPS of 32 cents per share and revenues of $2.37 billion. Investors will be keen to see how this quarter's numbers stack up against the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 29 cents per share on revenues of $2.31 billion. We'll know on Thursday whether Xcel Energy has managed the estimated 10.3% increase in EPS and 2.6% rise in revenues on a year-over-year basis.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.42	$0.31	$0.54	$0.28
EPS Actual	$0.42	$0.29	$0.67	$0.29

Stock Performance:

Shares of Xcel Energy were trading at $24.54 as of July 22, 2011. Shares are up 6.5% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 9.1%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Xcel Energy is a Hold. The strength of this rating has crept upwards over the past three months.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Xcel Energy closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the utilities sector.

ALLETE ALE: Moderate Buy with a $1.07 recent quarter EPS
Black Hills BKH: Hold with a $0.59 recent quarter EPS
CMS Energy CMS: Moderate Buy with a $0.51 recent quarter EPS
Duke Energy DUK: Moderate Sell with a $0.39 recent quarter EPS

Xcel Energy is in the utility-electric power industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 2.6%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Xcel Energy is a holding company that is engaged in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity and natural gas.

Take Action:

Now that you've gotten an advanced peak at Xcel Energy's upcoming earnings numbers, keep an eye out for any surprises in the report and be ready to take action. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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