Bank of America Corp DE Has $36.21 Million Stock Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Bank of America Corp DE reduced its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 677,228 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,470 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned 1.10% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $36,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,175,000 after purchasing an additional 56,180 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,033,437 shares of the company's stock worth $55,248,000 after acquiring an additional 4,544 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company's stock worth $53,454,000 after acquiring an additional 796,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 904,579 shares of the company's stock worth $48,359,000 after acquiring an additional 81,852 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE NWE traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $56.52. The company had a trading volume of 290,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 393,086. 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.87. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.52 and a 12-month high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.67%. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 68.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

NorthWestern Energy Group 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.