NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Sold by Jump Financial LLC

Jump Financial LLC lessened its position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 78.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,897 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 28,161 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in NiSource were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in NiSource by 153.2% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NiSource in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NiSource Price Performance

NI stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 683,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,667,089. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The company's 50 day moving average is $39.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.68. NiSource Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.60 and a fifty-two week high of $41.44. The stock has a market cap of $18.42 billion, a PE ratio of 24.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.48.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's payout ratio is presently 69.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NI. UBS Group upped their price objective on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $41.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In related news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total value of $219,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $988,339.36. This trade represents a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.