First Washington CORP Buys 2,151 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

First Washington CORP increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,799 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,151 shares during the period. NorthWestern Energy Group comprises approximately 2.1% of First Washington CORP’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. First Washington CORP owned about 0.19% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $5,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,780,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,049,000 after purchasing an additional 187,619 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,968,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,738,000 after buying an additional 19,748 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,128,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,597,000 after purchasing an additional 19,369 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,027,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,467,000 after buying an additional 61,216 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 849,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,521,000 after acquiring an additional 12,091 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NWE opened at $56.67 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 0.46. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.97 and a 52-week high of $57.14.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.21% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 80.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NWE shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $35,720.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $559,593.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group 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.