NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Barclays currently has $56.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $53.00.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on NWE. StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.50.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE NWE opened at $52.60 on Thursday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $46.15 and a 52-week high of $57.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $54.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.40.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total transaction of $37,499.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total transaction of $384,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,816 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter worth $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 150.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 51.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently 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.