Inspire Advisors LLC Buys 15,008 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Key Points

• Inspire Advisors LLC has increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 44.5%, owning 48,706 shares valued at approximately $2.82 million as of the end of Q1.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on NorthWestern Energy Group, with target price estimates ranging from $56.00 to $64.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold."
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66, yielding 5.02%, with a payout ratio of 68.75% based on annualized calculations.

Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 44.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,706 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,008 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $2,819,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $115,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 27.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.0% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,055 shares of the company's stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 30.6% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NWE stock traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $52.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 386,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,137. The firm's 50-day moving average is $52.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.57. 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 cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.43 and a 1-year high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. The company's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NWE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated 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 started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.00.

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.