NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) Posts Earnings Results

Key Points

• NorthWestern beat estimates, reporting EPS of $1.31 versus the $1.29 consensus and revenue of $516.6 million (up 6.6% year-over-year), with a net margin of 11.24% and ROE of 7.62%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share (annualized $2.68), a 3.7% yield
• Analysts are mixed—MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Hold" with a $68.30 target—while the stock trades near $72.35 (52-week high $75.18), a market cap of $4.45 billion and a P/E of 24.6.

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. NorthWestern had a return on equity of 7.62% and a net margin of 11.24%.The company had revenue of $516.60 million for the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis.

NorthWestern Stock Performance

NASDAQ NWE traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $72.35. The company had a trading volume of 428,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,322. NorthWestern has a fifty-two week low of $50.46 and a fifty-two week high of $75.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.70. The firm has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.32.

NorthWestern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. NorthWestern's dividend payout ratio is currently 91.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $56.00 to $75.50 in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of NorthWestern in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NorthWestern from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their price target on NorthWestern from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on NorthWestern from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in NorthWestern by 263.3% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 436 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in NorthWestern by 3,221.4% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the period. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in NorthWestern in the third quarter worth $37,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in NorthWestern by 34.3% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in NorthWestern by 31.1% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Company Profile

NorthWestern Corporation NASDAQ: NWE is a regulated energy company that delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its Electric Operations and Gas Operations segments, the company operates an extensive network of distribution lines, substations and pipelines. NorthWestern's services encompass the delivery of power sourced from regional transmission systems and the procurement, storage and distribution of natural gas to end users.

Electric delivery services include the management of distribution infrastructure, customer metering and system reliability programs.

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