Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $71.79 and last traded at $71.60, with a volume of 80248 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.35.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XEL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Xcel Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.31.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $65.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $41.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 EPS 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.