NiSource (NYSE:NI) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• NiSource shares reached a new 52-week high at $48.83 (last $48.36) as the stock trades near analyst targets; the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a $48.00 consensus target and several firms lifting targets to $49–$50.
• The company beat quarterly expectations with $0.51 EPS vs. $0.49 expected and $1.90B in revenue, and set FY2026 guidance of $2.02–$2.07 per share (analysts forecast ~1.91 EPS for the year).
• NiSource declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 (annualized $1.20) for a ~2.5% yield, with an ex-dividend/record timeline in late April and a payout ratio of about 61.5%.

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $48.83 and last traded at $48.3590, with a volume of 1480437 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $47.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on NI. Wall Street Zen raised NiSource from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of NiSource in a report on Friday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets set a $50.00 price target on NiSource in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays set a $49.00 price target on NiSource and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

NiSource Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.59, a PEG ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.61.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.02. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 13.99%.The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. NiSource's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NI. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 60.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 30,494 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 11,452 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in NiSource by 41.6% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 39,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 11,671 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the first quarter valued at $105,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in NiSource by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 49,220 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new position in NiSource in the second quarter valued at $1,054,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource, Inc NYSE: NI is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company's core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.

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