NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Acquired by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 13.2%, owning over 1 million shares worth approximately $57.9 million as of the last SEC filing.
• The stock decreased by 0.3% recently, with a current trading value of $54.53 and a market capitalization of $3.35 billion.
• NorthWestern Energy Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, with a yield of 4.8%, scheduled for payment on September 30th.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,001,201 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 117,087 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned about 1.63% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $57,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the company's stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.0% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,055 shares of the company's stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 30.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter worth $200,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE NWE traded down $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $55.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 323,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,238. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $50.43 and a twelve month high of $59.89. The business's fifty day moving average price is $52.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.61.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 71.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on NWE. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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 research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.