NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target Raised to $61.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its price objective raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $58.00 to $61.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays lifted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.75.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.99 on Wednesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $46.15 and a 12 month high of $57.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.26.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The company had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. NorthWestern Energy Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.56%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $559,593.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. CWM LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by 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.