NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Receives $41.11 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.50.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NiSource from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays upped their price objective on NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their target price on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

NiSource Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NI traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.51. 4,955,632 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,165,921. The company has a market capitalization of $18.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. NiSource has a 52 week low of $27.60 and a 52 week high of $41.45. The company's 50 day moving average is $39.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.88.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.08. NiSource had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NiSource will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In other NiSource news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $988,339.36. The trade was a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in NiSource by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 13,987 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in NiSource by 48.8% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 811 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in NiSource by 3.9% in the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,448 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its position in NiSource by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $922,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Finally, Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 4.2% during 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 buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company's stock.

About NiSource

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.