NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Sold by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC reduced its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 17.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 90,188 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,449 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.15% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $5,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 22,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 2,828 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $262,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,369,000 after acquiring an additional 135,611 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 37,714 shares of the company's stock worth $2,016,000 after acquiring an additional 1,063 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NWE stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Thursday, hitting $52.73. The stock had a trading volume of 366,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 402,910. The stock 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company's 50 day moving average price is $56.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.81. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.52 and a 1-year high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th 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 5.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NWE shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $56.00 price objective (down from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.