Bank of Montreal Can Sells 10,586 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 20.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,065 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,586 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.07% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $2,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 36.0% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,435 shares of the company's stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 2,763 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 78,026 shares of the company's stock worth $4,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,835 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 133,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,650 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $361,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 86,827 shares of the company's stock worth $4,642,000 after purchasing an additional 17,336 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 1.2 %

NWE traded up $0.72 on Tuesday, hitting $58.78. The company had a trading volume of 368,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 380,240. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.60. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.52 and a 52-week high of $59.52.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.49%. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NWE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. 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 price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.92.

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 that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.