NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Bought by Norinchukin Bank The

Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,491 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in NiSource were worth $790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in NiSource in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 153.2% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NiSource in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NI opened at $38.07 on Tuesday. NiSource Inc. has a one year low of $27.46 and a one year high of $41.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $39.28 and its 200-day moving average is $37.43. 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 has a market capitalization of $17.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.48.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group raised their price target on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.33.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total value of $219,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $988,339.36. The trade was a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Company Profile

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.