Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $68.46 and last traded at $68.38, with a volume of 229195 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $67.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on XEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus upgraded shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $71.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.38.

Xcel Energy Price Performance

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 $39.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.38. The company's 50-day moving average is $64.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.74.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other 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.