Oak Thistle LLC Takes Position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 39,519 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,049,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth approximately $214,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 17,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,187 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Hill Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $406,000. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NI traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.50. 2,567,689 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,363,782. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The business's fifty day moving average is $26.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.06. NiSource Inc. has a one year low of $22.86 and a one year high of $28.95. The stock has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.49.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). NiSource had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. NiSource's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.11%.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other news, SVP Melanie B. Berman sold 11,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 23,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $632,375.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NI. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research 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 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.