Teacher Retirement System of Texas Increases Stock Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 23.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 46,899 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,816 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $2,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NWE. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE NWE opened at $55.49 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $54.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.48 and a 12 month high of $57.49.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.76%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 72.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWE has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.25.

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.