Swiss National Bank Increases Stock Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 120,583 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.20% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $6,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,504,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,302,000 after buying an additional 42,104 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,803,000 after acquiring an additional 136,922 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,536,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,935,000 after purchasing an additional 35,279 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,070,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,250,000 after purchasing an additional 113,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,369,000 after purchasing an additional 135,611 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NWE. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $55.32 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $54.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.47. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.48 and a fifty-two 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.33%.

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.