Drake & Associates LLC Makes New $2.41 Million Investment in NiSource, Inc $NI

Drake & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 56,292 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,413,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in NiSource by 90.7% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 2,668.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in NiSource in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in NiSource in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

NYSE:NI opened at $44.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. NiSource, Inc has a 52 week low of $35.64 and a 52 week high of $45.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $42.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.65.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.02. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 14.15%.The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a boost from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.49%.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other NiSource news, EVP Kimberly S. Cuccia sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total transaction of $345,040.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 41,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,778,983.11. This trade represents a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on NI shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho increased their price target on NiSource from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays set a $45.00 price objective on NiSource in a report on Monday, December 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.11.

More NiSource News

Here are the key news stories impacting NiSource this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and revenue — NiSource reported $0.51 EPS vs. $0.49 expected and revenue surged ~18% year-over-year, driven by higher commercial demand; this beats consensus and supports near-term earnings visibility. NiSource beats fourth-quarter profit estimates, reaffirms 2026 forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Company reaffirmed FY2026 guidance (EPS range 2.020–2.070) and provided detailed slide deck/press materials with a robust capital spending plan to capture rising commercial power demand — keeps guidance intact while investing to grow. NiSource: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth driver — management outlined an 8–9% EPS CAGR through 2033 and cited a large (~$1B) customer flowback tied to an Amazon contract and other commercial opportunities, which supports an elevated growth runway vs. typical utility peers. NiSource outlines 8% to 9% EPS CAGR through 2033 as Amazon contract drives $1B customer flowback
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest fell ~20% in January to ~8.65M shares (1.8% of float), lowering potential short-squeeze risk and suggesting some bearish positions were closed. (Market data entry)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/sector context — Jefferies highlighted select dividend-paying utilities but cautioned on the sector; NiSource benefits from data-center demand but remains exposed to sector-wide regulatory/capex cycles. Jefferies Loves 5 Dividend-Paying Utility Stocks but Warns of Caution on the Sector
• Neutral Sentiment: Community/environment items (NIPSCO/Columbia Gas grant programs) are ongoing local activity but are unlikely to move the stock materially. 2026 Environmental Action Grant applications are open
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capex to meet AI/data-center demand raises near-term funding needs and could pressure free cash flow or leverage metrics despite the growth opportunity; investors will watch capex execution and financing. NiSource Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.