NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target Lowered to $56.00 at Barclays

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its price target decreased by Barclays from $57.00 to $56.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on NWE. Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $53.92 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.11. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $47.22 and a 1 year high of $57.49. The company has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.23%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,270.16. The trade was a 6.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $873,591.20. This trade represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 51.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 5,622.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 9,670 shares in the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 21,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 2,865 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 81.0% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,914,000 after acquiring an additional 22,784 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently 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.