NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Trading 5.5% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• NorthWestern Energy Group's stock price increased by 5.5%, closing at $57.97, after trading as high as $57.74.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for the stock, with targets ranging from $56.00 to $64.00, resulting in an average price target of $60.00 and a "Moderate Buy" rating.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, with a 4.5% yield and a payout ratio of 71.93%.

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 5.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $57.74 and last traded at $57.97. 210,758 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 459,612 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NWE. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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 reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $56.00 target price (down previously from $57.50) on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 2.5%

The firm has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business's 50-day moving average is $53.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.78.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. NorthWestern Energy Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.530-3.650 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.93%.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,594,485 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,097,000 after acquiring an additional 12,530 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,577,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,938,000 after acquiring an additional 7,684 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,334,017 shares of the company's stock worth $68,435,000 after buying an additional 11,084 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 65.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,222,376 shares of the company's stock worth $62,708,000 after buying an additional 484,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,145,309 shares of the company's stock worth $58,754,000 after buying an additional 30,471 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% 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.