NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target Raised to $70.00

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its target price hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.20.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 1.3%

NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $69.68 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $50.46 and a 12 month high of $71.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.20. The company has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its quarterly 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%.The company’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 91.16%.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 879 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 19,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 18,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 34.3% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key NorthWestern Energy Group News

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

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.