Rhumbline Advisers Sells 5,095 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 209,878 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,095 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.34% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $12,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 7,288.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 132,927 shares of the company's stock worth $7,692,000 after acquiring an additional 131,128 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 30,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,645,000 after buying an additional 9,696 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 144.1% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 6,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 136,322 shares of the company's stock worth $7,288,000 after buying an additional 11,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $52.73. 366,060 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 402,910. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $59.89. 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 has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.81.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 quarter last year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.01%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

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.