NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays increased their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a buy rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $54.88.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE NWE opened at $57.27 on Wednesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52 week low of $45.97 and a 52 week high of $57.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $54.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.61.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.21% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.54%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $559,593.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth $33,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.