Leeward Investments LLC MA Sells 53,287 Shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI)

Leeward Investments LLC MA lessened its holdings in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 16.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 266,023 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 53,287 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned about 0.06% of NiSource worth $10,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 64.2% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 765 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 44.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 105.0% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 1,281 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

NiSource Stock Performance

NYSE:NI traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $39.62. The company had a trading volume of 3,148,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,125,226. The firm has a market cap of $18.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $39.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.72. NiSource, Inc has a 52 week low of $28.42 and a 52 week high of $41.45.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.41% and a net margin of 14.67%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on NI. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on NiSource from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho upped their price target on NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim upped their price target on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, NiSource has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $41.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 6,178 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.81, for a total transaction of $233,590.18. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $701,035.21. The trade was a 24.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 6,227 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.42, for a total transaction of $245,468.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 28,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,138,528.44. The trade was a 17.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,405 shares of company stock worth $631,939. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.