NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.42.

NWE has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,270.16. This represents a 6.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were 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 represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,454,000 after buying an additional 796,500 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,978,000. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,275,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 752,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,225,000 after purchasing an additional 148,870 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NWE opened at $51.96 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.48. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12-month low of $46.78 and a 12-month high of $57.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $53.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.13. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.08%. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 70.08%.

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.