UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Has $154.29 Million Holdings in NiSource, Inc $NI

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its stake in NiSource, Inc by 34.2% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 3.85 million shares valued at $154.29 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard and Goldman Sachs, have also raised their holdings in NiSource, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 91.64%.
• NiSource announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, with a payment date set for November 20th, reflecting a 2.7% yield based on its annualized dividend.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 34.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,848,571 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 981,329 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned 0.82% of NiSource worth $154,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NI. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in NiSource by 43.7% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,140 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 3,692 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of NiSource by 124.5% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 52,914 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,945,000 after buying an additional 29,343 shares in the last quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of NiSource by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,303 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of NiSource by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 42,157 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,550,000 after buying an additional 2,238 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE NI traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, hitting $40.03. 1,767,839 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,460,197. The business's fifty day moving average is $41.57 and its 200 day moving average is $40.04. NiSource, Inc has a fifty-two week low of $33.32 and a fifty-two week high of $43.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.59.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.01. NiSource had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NI shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of NiSource to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NiSource from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 price target (up from $42.00) on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of NiSource from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.88.

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.