River Road Asset Management LLC Has $126.80 Million Stock Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 136,922 shares during the quarter. NorthWestern Energy Group comprises 1.7% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $126,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 7.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.8% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter worth $202,000. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1,218.2% during the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 60,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,488,000 after buying an additional 56,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 269,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,416,000 after acquiring an additional 11,422 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was 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 owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $873,591.20. This trade represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE NWE opened at $56.49 on Tuesday. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $47.48 and a one year high of $57.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $53.81 and its 200-day moving average is $54.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.67%. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.33%.

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.