NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Receives $54.88 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $54.88.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NWE shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Barclays raised their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America began coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $56.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.52. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $45.97 and a 52-week high of $57.23. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.39. The firm has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.46.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.50%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at $559,593.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter worth about $33,000. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.