NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Receives $59.25 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.25.

NWE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NWE opened at $56.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $47.48 and a 1 year high of $59.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.57.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 17.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 759,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,476,000 after buying an additional 110,461 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 46.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,368,000 after buying an additional 7,629 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth $259,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $260,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.