Wells Fargo & Company Cuts NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target to $52.00

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its target price reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $53.00 to $52.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the stock.

NWE has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.20.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NWE opened at $69.68 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.20. NorthWestern Energy Group has a fifty-two week low of $50.46 and a fifty-two week high of $71.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.02). NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%.During the same period last year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. NorthWestern Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.830 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 263.3% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 3,221.4% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.0% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1,220.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern Energy Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend raised to $0.67 (record Mar 13, pay Mar 31), a 1.5% increase that lifts yield to about 3.9% and supports income-oriented investors.
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets bumped its price target from $65 to $70 and set a “market perform” rating, signaling modest upside confidence. The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $3.21B capital plan and a 5% EPS growth target as merger and data-center deals advance — a multi-year growth plan that could support future rate base and earnings expansion. MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcript posted (useful for detail on guidance, rate case and M&A commentary). Yahoo Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript available for deeper read on drivers of results and management commentary. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $52 and assigned an “underweight” rating, signaling a sizable downside view versus the current price and likely weighing on sentiment. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $1.17 missed consensus by $0.02 (vs $1.19); revenue rose ~10.9% but the small EPS miss and higher operating expenses are near-term negatives. MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance set at $3.680–3.830, slightly below consensus (~3.82), which tempers upside expectations for the year.
• Negative Sentiment: 2025 annual results showed net income fell to $181.1M ($2.94/share) from $224.1M ($3.65/share) a year earlier, mainly due to higher operating expenses and regulatory disallowances — a material earnings decline that investors should monitor. Business Wire

About NorthWestern Energy Group

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE: NWE) is a regulated energy utility company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service territory that spans Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Corporation, it operates a diversified portfolio of generation assets, including thermal, hydroelectric and renewable facilities, as well as an extensive network of transmission and distribution lines.

NorthWestern Energy’s primary business activities encompass the delivery, transmission and sale of electric and natural gas services.