NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Purchased by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 882 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $1,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of NiSource by 153.2% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in NiSource in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the third quarter worth $50,000. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of NiSource by 423.6% in the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NI shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on NiSource in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NiSource currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

NiSource Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NI stock opened at $37.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.84. NiSource Inc. has a one year low of $24.80 and a one year high of $38.83. The stock has a market cap of $17.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.54.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This is a positive change from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.88%.

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.