NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Earns Market Perform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “market perform” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 10.72% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.21.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NWE stock opened at $54.19 on Tuesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $48.52 and a 52-week high of $59.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.84.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.