NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.65

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 30th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of 0.65 per share on Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th.

NorthWestern Energy Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 2.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 20 consecutive years. NorthWestern Energy Group has a dividend payout ratio of 71.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect NorthWestern Energy Group to earn $3.68 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 70.7%.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:NWE opened at $53.91 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $55.36 and its 200 day moving average is $52.62. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $46.15 and a 12 month high of $57.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.21% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $344.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NWE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America began coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total transaction of $35,720.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at $559,593.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

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.