Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high 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

XEL has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Xcel Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

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

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 firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. American National Bank bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $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.