Northern Trust Corp Increases Stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 894,163 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 91,977 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.46% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $47,802,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter worth $35,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during 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. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $0.82 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 73,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 389,713. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.52 and a 52-week high of $59.89. The company has a market cap of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's 50-day moving average is $56.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.90%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.21.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group 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.