Aventail Capital Group LP Reduces Stock Position in NiSource, Inc $NI

Aventail Capital Group LP reduced its position in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 207,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 44,578 shares during the period. Aventail Capital Group LP’s holdings in NiSource were worth $8,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NI. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in NiSource by 113.8% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NI stock opened at $46.69 on Thursday. NiSource, Inc has a 12 month low of $38.45 and a 12 month high of $48.98. The stock has a market cap of $22.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.31.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is 59.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on NI shares. Evercore set a $52.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,716,003.20. The trade was a 29.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $118,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 116,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,503,587.48. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $1,305,675. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

About NiSource

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.