NiSource (NYSE:NI) Reaches New 1-Year High at $29.05

NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $29.05 and last traded at $28.96, with a volume of 843373 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of NiSource from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 24th.

NiSource Trading Up 1.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.49. The business's fifty day moving average is $27.29 and its 200 day moving average is $26.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. NiSource had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 10.10%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. NiSource's payout ratio is 72.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Melanie B. Berman sold 11,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total value of $297,019.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at $632,375.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in NiSource during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in NiSource by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,553 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company's stock.

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.