Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday after KeyCorp raised their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $74.00. KeyCorp currently has an overweight rating on the stock. 6,789,070 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 63% from the previous session's volume of 4,177,051 shares.The stock last traded at $65.36 and had previously closed at $66.69.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Xcel Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Argus raised Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 481.9% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,822 shares of the company's stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,337 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Xcel Energy by 100.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 4,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Xcel Energy by 9.1% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 139,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,105,000 after purchasing an additional 11,604 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Down 1.3 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.33. The company has a market capitalization of $36.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.79, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (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 10.99%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Xcel Energy's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.