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

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

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,175,000 after purchasing an additional 56,180 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company's stock worth $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,033,437 shares of the company's stock worth $55,248,000 after acquiring an additional 4,544 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,454,000 after acquiring an additional 796,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 904,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,359,000 after acquiring an additional 81,852 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 1.6 %

NWE stock traded down $0.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $56.14. The company had a trading volume of 492,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 389,932. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $59.89. The stock has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $56.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.83.

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 (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 business's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.25.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.