LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Upgrades NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) to Buy

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) was upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $57.50 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.98% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on NWE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $53.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.50.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 1.5 %

NWE opened at $52.28 on Wednesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a twelve month low of $46.15 and a twelve month high of $57.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $53.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $344.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total value of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $873,591.20. This represents a 30.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total transaction of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,270.16. The trade was a 6.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 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.