36,730 Shares in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Acquired by Price Capital Management Inc.

Price Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 36,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,473,000. NiSource comprises approximately 3.7% of Price Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in NiSource by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 44,240 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 15,157 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of NiSource by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 197,331 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,254,000 after buying an additional 6,688 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of NiSource by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 180,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,626,000 after buying an additional 36,736 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of NiSource by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,793,581 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,124,492,000 after buying an additional 2,459,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of NiSource by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 344,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,665,000 after buying an additional 99,033 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In related news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 6,178 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.81, for a total value of $233,590.18. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $701,035.21. The trade was a 24.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 6,227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.42, for a total value of $245,468.34. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 28,882 shares in the company, valued at $1,138,528.44. This represents a 17.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,405 shares of company stock worth $631,939 over the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NiSource Stock Performance

NYSE:NI traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $42.21. 2,934,205 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,543,441. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $39.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.07. NiSource, Inc has a one year low of $30.53 and a one year high of $42.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $19.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.54.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.08. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.41% and a net margin of 14.67%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on NiSource from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price 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.