Cibc World Market Inc. Increases Position in NiSource, Inc $NI

Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 103,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,594 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in NiSource were worth $4,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Lido Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,222 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in NiSource by 69.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 113,497 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,740,000 after acquiring an additional 46,556 shares in the last quarter. Capital Innovations LLC purchased a new position in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at about $494,000. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at about $723,000. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its holdings in NiSource by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 21,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

NiSource stock opened at $46.60 on Monday. NiSource, Inc has a 12-month low of $38.45 and a 12-month high of $48.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $47.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Equities analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.70%.

Insider Activity

In other NiSource news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,716,003.20. This trade represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $118,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares in the company, valued at $5,503,587.48. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 27,500 shares of company stock worth $1,305,675 over the last ninety days. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.33.

NiSource Company Profile

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.