NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.25.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NWE. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price 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.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 2.0 %

NWE opened at $56.14 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $53.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.34. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52 week low of $47.48 and a 52 week high of $57.49. 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 Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total value of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,816 shares in the company, valued at $873,591.20. This represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.