Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Decreases Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 70.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,774 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,215 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NWE. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at $115,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 27.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the company's stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NWE shares. Barclays upped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a "neutral" rating and set a $56.00 price target (down from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NWE stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $50.85. The company had a trading volume of 1,009,774 shares, compared to its average volume of 415,543. The stock's 50-day moving average is $54.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 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, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

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.