14,406 Shares in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Purchased by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 14,406 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $578,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lincoln Capital Corp acquired a new stake in NiSource during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,556,000. Capital International Inc. CA acquired a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,612,000. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in NiSource by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,075,372 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $76,291,000 after acquiring an additional 43,608 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in NiSource by 14.0% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 358,469 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,371,000 after acquiring an additional 43,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,035,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at NiSource

In other NiSource news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 6,178 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.81, for a total transaction of $233,590.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $701,035.21. This trade represents a 24.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 6,227 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.42, for a total value of $245,468.34. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 28,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,138,528.44. The trade was a 17.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,405 shares of company stock valued at $631,939 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, NiSource has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $41.50.

NiSource Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE NI traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.56. The company had a trading volume of 4,008,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,135,262. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $39.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $18.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.54. NiSource, Inc has a 12-month low of $29.67 and a 12-month high of $41.45.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.08. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.41% and a net margin of 14.67%. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is 60.54%.

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.