NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Bought by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,780,298 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 187,619 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.06% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $345,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 768,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,113,000 after purchasing an additional 31,100 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $875,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,088,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 451.5% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 46,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 37,963 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 76.4% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 61,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 26,555 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NWE stock opened at $50.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $50.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.97 and a 52 week high of $58.38.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.30). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 7.31%. The company had revenue of $475.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $471.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 687 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total transaction of $35,243.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,640 shares in the company, valued at $545,832. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP John D. Hines sold 1,565 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.15, for a total transaction of $80,049.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 32,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,677,413.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 687 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total transaction of $35,243.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,640 shares in the company, valued at $545,832. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,602 shares of company stock valued at $183,805. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NWE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.86.

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.