NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ:NWE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Six brokerages rate NorthWestern a consensus Hold (1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $68.30.
• Operational update: NorthWestern beat Q1 EPS ($1.31 vs. $1.29) and revenue rose 6.6% to $516.6M, issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance (~$3.68–$3.83) in line with the street, and declared a $0.67 quarterly dividend (~3.7% yield; ~91% payout ratio).
• GAAP net income declined: Despite the EPS beat, GAAP net income fell to $63.5M from $76.9M a year earlier, with lower retail volumes and higher operating/merger‑related costs cited as margin headwinds.

NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ:NWE - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.30.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $56.00 to $75.50 in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $54.00 target price on shares of NorthWestern in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of NorthWestern from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th.

NorthWestern Stock Up 1.4%

NWE stock opened at $72.34 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $69.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. NorthWestern has a 1-year low of $50.46 and a 1-year high of $75.18. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.32.

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $516.60 million during the quarter. NorthWestern had a return on equity of 7.62% and a net margin of 11.24%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Analysts expect that NorthWestern will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. NorthWestern's payout ratio is presently 91.16%.

Key NorthWestern News

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported an EPS beat and revenue growth — NorthWestern posted $1.31 EPS vs. $1.29 consensus and revenue of $516.6M, up 6.6% year‑over‑year, which likely supported the stock. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Board approved a $0.67 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~3.7%), attractive to income investors and supportive of the share price. (Record/ex‑dividend dates announced with the payment schedule.)
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance largely in line with Street — Company updated guidance to $3.680–$3.830 (midpoint ~3.755) versus consensus ~3.75, a negligible difference that keeps expectations steady. Press Release / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and call available — The earnings call/transcript and slide deck are posted for details on drivers and capital plans; investors should review for color on regulatory outlook and merger‑related items. Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP net income declined — BusinessWire reported net income of $63.5M ($1.03 diluted) vs. $76.9M ($1.25) a year earlier; management cited lower retail volumes and higher operating, administrative and merger‑related costs, which are headwinds to margins. BusinessWire Press Release

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in NorthWestern by 263.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 436 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in NorthWestern by 3,221.4% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in NorthWestern by 142.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 455 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern by 1,220.0% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 528 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Finally, PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

About NorthWestern

NorthWestern Corporation NASDAQ: NWE is a regulated energy company that delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its Electric Operations and Gas Operations segments, the company operates an extensive network of distribution lines, substations and pipelines. NorthWestern's services encompass the delivery of power sourced from regional transmission systems and the procurement, storage and distribution of natural gas to end users.

Electric delivery services include the management of distribution infrastructure, customer metering and system reliability programs.

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