Comerica Bank Lowers Stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Comerica Bank lessened its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,265 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,328 shares during the period. Comerica Bank owned about 0.12% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $3,810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 204.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 110,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,327,000 after buying an additional 74,278 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Accurate Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $401,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NWE shares. Barclays raised their target price on 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 NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:NWE traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $55.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 71,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 388,681. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $59.89. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.84 and a 200-day moving average of $54.83.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share 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%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Insider Activity

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

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.