Analysts Set NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Price Target at $59.92

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $60.25.

NWE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NWE opened at $58.20 on Tuesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $59.89. The firm has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $56.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 72.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,454,000 after buying an additional 796,500 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,978,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at $11,275,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 752,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,225,000 after purchasing an additional 148,870 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc provides electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and various industrial customers. It generates, purchases, transmits, and distributes electricity; and produces, purchases, stores, transmits, and distributes natural gas, as well as owns municipal franchises to provide natural gas service in the communities.