Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.25. The company has a market cap of $40.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.38.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.9% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $940,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd 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 period. LRI Investments LLC raised its position in Xcel Energy by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Xcel Energy by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 247,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,194,000 after buying an additional 28,508 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after buying an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.