NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Position Cut by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its holdings in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 26.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 196,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 70,909 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in NiSource were worth $7,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NI. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 185.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 9,244,744 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $339,837,000 after buying an additional 6,001,486 shares during the period. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $219,977,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $195,745,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in NiSource by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,199,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $301,427,000 after buying an additional 2,714,262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in NiSource by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,370,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $785,563,000 after buying an additional 1,965,334 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In related news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 6,178 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.81, for a total value of $233,590.18. Following the sale, the director owned 18,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $701,035.21. The trade was a 24.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 6,227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.42, for a total transaction of $245,468.34. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 16,405 shares of company stock worth $631,939. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NI opened at $42.21 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $39.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.45. NiSource, Inc has a 1 year low of $30.53 and a 1 year high of $42.26.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.08. NiSource had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 8.41%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is 60.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on NiSource from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, NiSource currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $41.50.

NiSource 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.

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