Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 1,181 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,576 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,181 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $2,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 51,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,736,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 13,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $56.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.48 and a twelve month high of $57.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $54.30 and its 200-day moving average is $54.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.70%. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.33%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.25.

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.