Stifel Financial Corp Has $8.36 Million Stock Position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 227,386 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,932 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in NiSource were worth $8,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of NiSource by 153.2% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in shares of NiSource by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,679 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 24,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $988,339.36. The trade was a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

NiSource Price Performance

NI stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.30. 5,458,969 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,165,205. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. NiSource Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.60 and a 1-year high of $41.45. The company has a market cap of $18.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.26, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.53.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business earned $0.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, NiSource presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $41.11.

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.