NorthWestern (NWE) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

NorthWestern Corporation is a publicly traded utility holding company that provides electric, natural gas and water services across parts of the northern Great Plains. Operating through its wholly owned subsidiary NorthWestern Energy, the company serves customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and portions of Iowa. Its principal business activities encompass the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, natural gas distribution and water service provision within regulated utility frameworks.

The company’s electric operations include a diversified mix of generation assets, such as hydroelectric, coal-fired and natural gas facilities, supported by long-term power purchase agreements. NorthWestern’s natural gas network delivers reliable service through an extensive pipeline infrastructure, while its water segment offers potable water treatment and distribution to urban communities. Under oversight from state public service commissions, the company prioritizes system reliability, safety and regulatory compliance.

NorthWestern’s origins date back to early 20th-century regional power providers in South Dakota and Montana. It was reorganized in the 1990s to consolidate its regulated utility businesses under a unified corporate structure. Since then, the company has focused on infrastructure investments, including grid modernization, renewable energy integration and resilience enhancements to meet evolving customer and environmental needs.

Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, NorthWestern Corporation is led by President and CEO David S. Goodin and a seasoned executive team. The company continues to advance strategic initiatives that bolster sustainability, enhance customer service and support economic growth in the communities it serves.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $52.35 to $52.87
• 50-Day Range: N/A
• 52-Week Range: $50.43 to $59.89
• Volume: 330,674 shs
• Average Volume: 451,058 shs
• Market Capitalization: $3.22 billion
• P/E Ratio: 13.66
• Dividend Yield: 5.03%
• Price Target: $56.00
• Consensus Rating: Hold

NorthWestern Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

NorthWestern scored higher than 77% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 37th out of 99 stocks in the utilities sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 1.0 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

NorthWestern has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.00, and is based on no buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

NorthWestern has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: N/A

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of NorthWestern is 13.66, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.86.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of NorthWestern is 13.66, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Utilities sector average P/E ratio of about 20.08.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

NorthWestern has a PEG Ratio of 2.12. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

NorthWestern has a P/B Ratio of 1.13. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.50% of the float of NorthWestern has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

NorthWestern has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in NorthWestern has recently decreased by 4.40%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Leadership

NorthWestern is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 4.99%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.

Dividend Growth

NorthWestern has been increasing its dividend for 21 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of NorthWestern is 68.75%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 2.6 / 5
• Environmental Score: -4.20

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.50% of the float of NorthWestern has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

NorthWestern has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in NorthWestern has recently decreased by 4.40%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: N/A

News Sentiment

NorthWestern has a news sentiment score of 0.67. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.86 average news sentiment score of Utilities companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 1 news article for NorthWestern this week, compared to 0 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

5 people have searched for NWE on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 400% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, NorthWestern insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.94% of the stock of NorthWestern is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

96.07% of the stock of NorthWestern is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

NWE Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have NWE shares performed this year?

NorthWestern's stock was trading at $54.98 at the beginning of 2025. Since then, NWE stock has decreased by 4.6% and is now trading at $52.46.

How do I buy shares of NorthWestern?

Shares of NWE stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

Company Calendar

• Today: 7/13/2025
• Next Earnings (Confirmed): 7/30/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Utilities
• Industry: UTIL - ELEC PWR
• Sub-Industry: Utilities
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:NWE
• Previous Symbol: NASDAQ:NWE
• CIK: 1993004
• Web: N/A
• Phone: (605) 978-2900
• Fax: N/A
• Employees: 1,585
• Year Founded: N/A

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for NorthWestern: $56.00
• High Price Target: $56.00
• Low Price Target: $56.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +6.7%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.00
• Research Coverage: 1 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $3.84
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 13.66
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: 2.12
• Net Income: $224.11 million
• Net Margins: 15.68%
• Pretax Margin: 15.37%
• Return on Equity: 7.63%
• Return on Assets: 2.74%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.08
• Current Ratio: 1.19
• Quick Ratio: 0.89

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $1.51 billion
• Price / Sales: 2.14
• Cash Flow: $7.20 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 7.29
• Book Value: $46.61 per share
• Price / Book: 1.13

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 61,380,000
• Free Float: 60,803,000
• Market Cap: $3.22 billion
• Optionable: N/A
• Beta: 0.35