Meritage Portfolio Management Raises Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Meritage Portfolio Management increased its position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 62.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 94,489 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,399 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management owned about 0.15% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $5,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NWE. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 27.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NWE stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Thursday, reaching $52.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 368,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 417,943. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company's fifty day moving average is $54.43 and its 200-day moving average is $54.56. The company has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.37. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on NWE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $56.00 price target (down from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group 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.