Analysts Set NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Target Price at $57.00

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NWE. 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 note on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $54.45 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $46.15 and a 1 year high of $57.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 14.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $55.28 and its 200 day moving average is $53.32.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released 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 analyst estimates of $344.06 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.08%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 150.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.