NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Acquired by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,029,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 36,676 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of NiSource worth $37,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 13,987 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 31,450 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 5,648 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in NiSource by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 48,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,788,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NI traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $39.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,028,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,143,240. The company has a market capitalization of $18.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. NiSource Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.60 and a 1 year high of $41.45.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's payout ratio is currently 69.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NI shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $41.11.

Insider Activity at NiSource

In other NiSource news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $988,339.36. This trade represents a 18.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About NiSource

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.