NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Stock Holdings Boosted by Allworth Financial LP

Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,053 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the quarter. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in NiSource were worth $115,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of NiSource by 153.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of NiSource by 423.6% during the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NI stock opened at $40.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.42 and its 200-day moving average is $35.67. The stock has a market cap of $18.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.54. NiSource Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.59 and a 52-week high of $40.22.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 13.94%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. NiSource’s payout ratio is 69.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on NI shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on NiSource in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Mizuho raised their target price on NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.13.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $988,339.36. This represents a 18.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About NiSource

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.