NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $60.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on NWE. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $56.00 price objective (down from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Monday, June 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $197,000. Intrua Financial LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 7,078 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 6,371 shares of the company's stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1,549.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 243,070 shares of the company's stock worth $14,066,000 after buying an additional 228,338 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 154,776 shares of the company's stock worth $8,957,000 after buying an additional 18,454 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $50.87 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $48.52 and a 52-week high of $59.89. The firm has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.37. The business's fifty day moving average is $55.79 and its 200 day moving average is $54.71.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

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.

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