NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $55.29.

Several research firms have weighed in on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.46 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $46.15 and a 52-week high of $57.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.29. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.46.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $319.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.61%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 80.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $559,593.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 128.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 63,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,223,000 after buying an additional 35,628 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 429.0% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,353,000 after purchasing an additional 85,235 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 49.0% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 10,185 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter valued at about $2,862,000. 96.07% of the stock is 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.