NiSource, Inc $NI Shares Bought by Yaupon Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Yaupon Capital Management LP increased its stake in NiSource, Inc by 19.2%, now owning approximately 900,290 shares valued at about $36.1 million.
• NiSource announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.8% and the payment scheduled for November 20th.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on NiSource, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $43.11, despite some downgrades in recent reports.

Yaupon Capital Management LP increased its holdings in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 19.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 900,290 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 145,084 shares during the period. NiSource accounts for 1.8% of Yaupon Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned 0.19% of NiSource worth $36,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in NiSource by 48.8% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 811 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 3.9% in the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,448 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC boosted its holdings in NiSource by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 50,416 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,021,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC grew its position in NiSource by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,303 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 64.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 765 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

NiSource Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:NI traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $41.00. 2,379,899 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,471,938. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 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, Inc has a 12-month low of $33.32 and a 12-month high of $43.51.

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

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of NiSource to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered NiSource from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $48.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NiSource from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, NiSource presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.88.

NiSource Company 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.