BNP Paribas Financial Markets Cuts Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,489 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,422 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $1,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% during the 4th 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 period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,978,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $11,275,000. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.21.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.52 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.90. The stock has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.67%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

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.