Bridgewater Associates LP Takes Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 59,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,199,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,175,000 after purchasing an additional 56,180 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,536,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,935,000 after acquiring an additional 35,279 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 904,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,359,000 after acquiring an additional 81,852 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,369,000 after purchasing an additional 135,611 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $58.77 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.47 and a 52 week high of $59.52. The company’s 50 day moving average is $55.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.56. The company has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.49%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

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.