NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to Buy Rating

LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $57.50 target price on the stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays raised NorthWestern Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $53.00 to $56.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.50.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NWE stock opened at $52.96 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12-month low of $46.15 and a 12-month high of $57.49. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.73. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $345.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $344.06 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. Analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.91%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 70.08%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total value of $384,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $873,591.20. This represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,270.16. The trade was a 6.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,504,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,302,000 after acquiring an additional 42,104 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.7% during the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,235,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,887,000 after purchasing an additional 14,654 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,536,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,935,000 after purchasing an additional 35,279 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 11.8% during the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,070,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,250,000 after buying an additional 113,265 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.