Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $69.90 and last traded at $69.85, with a volume of 151236 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $69.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $65.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 19.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 336,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,958,000 after purchasing an additional 55,018 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.9% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $940,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,562,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,091,000 after purchasing an additional 262,191 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Xcel Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in Xcel Energy by 13.0% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 247,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,194,000 after purchasing an additional 28,508 shares during the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.