NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NWE. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.86.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 4.5 %

NWE stock opened at $51.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $45.97 and a 12 month high of $55.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $50.96 and its 200 day moving average is $49.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.21% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The business had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.05%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 768,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,113,000 after buying an additional 31,100 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth $875,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 128.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 63,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,223,000 after acquiring an additional 35,628 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 429.0% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,353,000 after acquiring an additional 85,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,088,000. 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.