NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.66

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 13th,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of 0.66 per share on Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65.

NorthWestern Energy Group has increased its dividend by an average of 1.6% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 19 years. NorthWestern Energy Group has a payout ratio of 67.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect NorthWestern Energy Group to earn $3.63 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 71.6%.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $52.87. 919,400 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 364,986. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.48. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $46.40 and a 12 month high of $57.49. The business’s 50-day moving average is $53.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,270.16. This trade represents a 6.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $873,591.20. The trade was a 30.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on NWE. Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.42.

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.