NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $55.38.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $56.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52 week low of $46.15 and a 52 week high of $57.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $54.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.22.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 80.50%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total transaction of $35,720.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $559,593.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth $33,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.