NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.66 (NYSE:NWE)

Key Points

• NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, to be paid on September 30th to shareholders of record as of September 15th, reflecting a 4.9% annual yield.
• The company has a dividend payout ratio of 68.6%, indicating strong coverage by earnings, with an expected future payout ratio of 68.2% based on projected earnings of $3.87 per share for the next year.
• NorthWestern Energy Group's shares rose 2.1% during midday trading, reaching $53.70, following a better-than-expected earnings report showing an EPS of $0.40 for the last quarter.

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 31st, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of 0.66 per share on Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th.

NorthWestern Energy Group has a dividend payout ratio of 68.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect NorthWestern Energy Group to earn $3.87 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 68.2%.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 2.0%

NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $1.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $54.62. 76,755 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 464,057. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $50.43 and a 1 year high of $59.89. The firm has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $52.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.58.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.02. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. NorthWestern Energy Group's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $56.00 target price (down previously from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc provides electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and various industrial customers. It generates, purchases, transmits, and distributes electricity; and produces, purchases, stores, transmits, and distributes natural gas, as well as owns municipal franchises to provide natural gas service in the communities.