NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) Hits New 1-Year High Following Dividend Announcement

NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ:NWE)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $81.82 and last traded at $82.1140, with a volume of 51,725 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $79.95.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 17th. NorthWestern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NWE shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised NorthWestern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $90.00 in a report on Monday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded NorthWestern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on NorthWestern from $73.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of NorthWestern from $76.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on NorthWestern in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.25.

NorthWestern Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.58, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $72.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.67.

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.15). NorthWestern had a return on equity of 8.03% and a net margin of 10.13%. The company had revenue of $427.00 million for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that NorthWestern Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Key NorthWestern News

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NorthWestern reaffirmed its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.68–$3.83, offering some reassurance that management remains on track despite a weaker quarter. Article: NorthWestern affirms 2026 EPS guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly revenue increased 9.5% year over year to $427 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, equivalent to $2.68 annually and a yield of about 3.3% based on the provided data.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching the expected year-end 2026 timing for the proposed Black Hills merger; the supplied coverage did not report a change to the schedule. Article: Merger timing
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were weaker: adjusted EPS of $0.58 missed the $0.73 consensus, while GAAP diluted EPS was $0.50 versus $0.62 a year earlier. The company attributed much of the net-income decline to a $6.1 million loss related to its additional ownership interests in Colstrip Units 3 and 4. Article: Third-quarter financial results

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NWE. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,340,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern by 4,774.6% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 216,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,252,000 after purchasing an additional 211,705 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in NorthWestern by 69.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 225,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,847,000 after acquiring an additional 92,134 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in NorthWestern by 11,652.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 67,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,479,000 after buying an additional 67,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern by 26.8% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 277,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,878,000 after purchasing an additional 58,577 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About NorthWestern

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc, doing business as NorthWestern Energy, is a regulated electric and natural gas utility headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company generates, purchases, transmits and distributes electricity, and provides natural gas distribution and related services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers.

NorthWestern Energy serves customers primarily in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Its operations include electric generation facilities and transmission and distribution networks, as well as natural gas pipelines and distribution systems.