Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 46,202 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 829,257 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,202 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 1.35% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $47,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,175,000 after buying an additional 56,180 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,110,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,371,000 after buying an additional 40,140 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,033,437 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,248,000 after buying an additional 4,544 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,454,000 after buying an additional 796,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 904,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,359,000 after buying an additional 81,852 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE:NWE traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $52.53. 275,066 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,880. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $52.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.43 and a fifty-two week high of $59.89. The firm has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. NorthWestern Energy Group's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on NWE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $56.00 price target (down previously from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company 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 given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.