Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $68.46 and last traded at $68.38, with a volume of 229195 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a market cap of $39.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $64.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.83.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.01). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. 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.