Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 209,506 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,335 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $11,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,978,000. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,369,000 after buying an additional 135,611 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 11.8% in the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,070,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,250,000 after buying an additional 113,265 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $57.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $54.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.52. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.48 and a 12 month high of $58.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.