Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $65.76 and last traded at $64.46, with a volume of 6994608 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Xcel Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $63.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.03). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.548 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XEL. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.