NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to “Buy” Rating

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) was upgraded by analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $57.50 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.95% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays raised NorthWestern Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.50.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $54.27 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $53.56 and its 200 day moving average is $53.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.48. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $46.15 and a 1 year high of $57.49.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $344.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,270.16. This trade represents a 6.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total transaction of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $873,591.20. The trade was a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1,218.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 60,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,488,000 after acquiring an additional 56,330 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $631,000. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,070,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,250,000 after purchasing an additional 113,265 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 58.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 75,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,758,000 after purchasing an additional 27,601 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 600.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 49,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,000 after purchasing an additional 42,479 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.