NiSource (NYSE:NI) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $47.67 and last traded at $47.59, with a volume of 4458819 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NI shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on NiSource from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays set a $45.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, December 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NiSource presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.20.

NiSource Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $44.15 and a 200 day moving average of $42.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.64.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.02. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 13.99%.The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. NiSource’s payout ratio is currently 61.54%.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NI. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its stake in NiSource by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 15,171 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $634,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 18,864 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors raised its position in shares of NiSource by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 21,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of NiSource by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in NiSource by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NiSource

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.