NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's Why

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $59.74 and last traded at $59.53, with a volume of 250537 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $58.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The company's 50 day moving average is $56.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $401,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 22,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 2,828 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 204.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 110,571 shares of the company's stock worth $6,327,000 after purchasing an additional 74,278 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company's stock worth $47,369,000 after buying an additional 135,611 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

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.