Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Xcel Energy's stock reached a new **52-week high** of $74.57 during trading, currently trading at $73.73 with a significant volume of over 4.5 million shares.
• Analysts have set a **consensus target price** of $76.00 for Xcel Energy, with ratings ranging from one sell to eight buy ratings, indicating a strong market sentiment towards the stock.
• The company recently announced a **quarterly dividend** of $0.57 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.1%, with a payout ratio of 63.16%.

Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $74.57 and last traded at $73.73, with a volume of 4542655 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $74.24.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XEL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Xcel Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Xcel Energy from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.00.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $43.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.34.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.85%. Xcel Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Xcel Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of XEL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy by 18.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 472,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,437,000 after acquiring an additional 73,036 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Xcel Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $2,735,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $905,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $329,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $267,000. Institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Xcel Energy Company Profile

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.