Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Acquires 4,957 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 272.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,778 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,957 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 391.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 999,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,454,000 after acquiring an additional 796,500 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,236,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth $29,978,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth about $11,275,000. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company's stock worth $126,803,000 after acquiring an additional 136,922 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NWE stock traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $57.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 386,113. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.52 and a 52-week high of $59.89. The stock has a market cap of $3.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $56.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.80.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.75%.

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.