NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Bought by Ancora Advisors LLC

Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 19.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 208,090 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 33,580 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC owned 0.34% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $11,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NWE traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $58.06. 459,515 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 387,543. The company's 50 day moving average is $56.72 and its 200 day moving average is $54.78. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $59.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.55%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NWE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% 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.