NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.3333.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NI. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on NiSource in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

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

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 113.8% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NI opened at $47.46 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $47.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $22.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.55. NiSource has a 1 year low of $38.45 and a 1 year high of $48.98.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 14.15%.During the same period last year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Research analysts forecast that NiSource will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.70%.

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.