Brokerages Set NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) PT at $54.88

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.88.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Barclays raised their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $56.47 on Monday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a twelve month low of $45.97 and a twelve month high of $57.23. The stock has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $53.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.43.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $319.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.50%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at $559,593.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWE. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 76,905 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,917,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.1% during the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.