5,309 Shares in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Bought by Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $307,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 64,615 shares of the company's stock worth $3,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 181,192 shares of the company's stock worth $10,486,000 after acquiring an additional 7,177 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 94,489 shares of the company's stock worth $5,468,000 after acquiring an additional 36,399 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 75,478 shares of the company's stock worth $4,368,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 30.6% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,266 shares of the company's stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NWE traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.46. 330,674 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 421,323. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. 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 price is $53.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.58. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.43 and a 52-week high of $59.89.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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