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

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $60.00.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.46. 330,674 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 422,063. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1-year low of $50.43 and a 1-year high of $59.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.03%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 155.3% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 800.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd now owns 1,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $115,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.