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Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Xcel Energy logo with Utilities background

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $65.88 and last traded at $65.84, with a volume of 491268 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Xcel Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.54.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.10. The firm has a market cap of $37.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 23.2% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 643,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,614,000 after purchasing an additional 121,118 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Xcel Energy by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,625,530 shares of the company's stock worth $87,372,000 after acquiring an additional 38,653 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 100,969 shares of the company's stock worth $5,427,000 after acquiring an additional 20,068 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 91.6% during the 1st quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 190,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,245,000 after acquiring an additional 91,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 8,790 shares in the last quarter. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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