NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $60.21.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of 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 lifted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE NWE traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.64. 22,536 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 393,871. NorthWestern Energy Group has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $59.89. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $56.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.83%. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 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.