UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 136,322 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,324 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.22% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $7,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company's stock worth $53,454,000 after acquiring an additional 796,500 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,978,000. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,275,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 752,441 shares of the company's stock worth $40,225,000 after buying an additional 148,870 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $0.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $52.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 49,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,314. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $59.89. The company has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on NWE shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a "neutral" rating and set a $56.00 target price (down from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays increased 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, 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 objective on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.00.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.