Brokerages Set NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) PT at $59.20

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.20.

Several research analysts have commented on NWE shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $58.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter worth $844,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter worth $1,292,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 583,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,482,000 after acquiring an additional 163,147 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,708,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $129,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 1.3%

NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $66.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.38 and a 200 day moving average of $59.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.35. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12-month low of $50.46 and a 12-month high of $69.23. 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 (NYSE:NWE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.79%.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE: NWE) is a regulated energy utility company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service territory that spans Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Corporation, it operates a diversified portfolio of generation assets, including thermal, hydroelectric and renewable facilities, as well as an extensive network of transmission and distribution lines.

NorthWestern Energy’s primary business activities encompass the delivery, transmission and sale of electric and natural gas services.