NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Hits New 1-Year High at $55.59

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $55.59 and last traded at $55.58, with a volume of 104809 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $54.58.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.88.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The firm had revenue of $319.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. NorthWestern Energy Group’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total transaction of $35,720.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $559,593.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% 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.