Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $874,000 Holdings in NiSource, Inc $NI

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 240.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,231 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in NiSource by 113.8% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NiSource stock opened at $46.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.20 and a 200-day moving average of $45.70. NiSource, Inc has a 52-week low of $38.45 and a 52-week high of $49.21. The stock has a market cap of $22.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.55.

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

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is presently 59.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NiSource news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,990 shares in the company, valued at $1,716,003.20. This trade represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $118,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,503,587.48. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NI shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore set a $52.00 price objective on NiSource in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.50.

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.