Janus Henderson Group PLC Acquires 17,200 Shares of NorthWestern Corporation $NWE

Key Points

• Janus Henderson increased its NorthWestern stake by 29.2% in the first quarter, acquiring 17,200 shares and bringing its holdings to 76,104 shares worth approximately $5.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.07% of the company.
• NorthWestern reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, beating estimates by $0.08, while revenue rose 14.6% year over year to $392.6 million. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $3.75.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, equivalent to a 3.8% yield and $2.68 annualized. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $73.30.

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ:NWE - Free Report) by 29.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 76,104 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,200 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.12% of NorthWestern worth $5,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in NorthWestern by 263.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 436 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in NorthWestern by 142.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 455 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern by 3,221.4% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern by 34.3% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Price Performance

NWE opened at $70.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.34. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $70.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.87. NorthWestern Corporation has a 52-week low of $54.89 and a 52-week high of $75.18.

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $392.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $386.22 million. NorthWestern had a return on equity of 8.03% and a net margin of 10.13%.The firm's revenue was up 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that NorthWestern Corporation will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. NorthWestern's payout ratio is currently 96.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their target price on NorthWestern from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on NorthWestern from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded NorthWestern to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on NorthWestern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NorthWestern from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.30.

NorthWestern Profile

NorthWestern Corporation NASDAQ: NWE is a regulated energy company that delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its Electric Operations and Gas Operations segments, the company operates an extensive network of distribution lines, substations and pipelines. NorthWestern's services encompass the delivery of power sourced from regional transmission systems and the procurement, storage and distribution of natural gas to end users.

Electric delivery services include the management of distribution infrastructure, customer metering and system reliability programs.

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