NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.25.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.6 %

NWE opened at $56.10 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group has a one year low of $47.48 and a one year high of $57.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $53.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.40.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is presently 72.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, 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 value of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWE. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,175,000 after purchasing an additional 56,180 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position 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 buying an additional 42,104 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,803,000 after acquiring an additional 136,922 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $87,935,000 after acquiring an additional 35,279 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,110,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,371,000 after acquiring an additional 40,140 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.