NiSource (NYSE:NI) PT Raised to $38.00

NiSource (NYSE:NI) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $35.00 to $38.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on NI. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, July 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.29.

NiSource Trading Up 1.6 %

NI opened at $35.31 on Monday. NiSource has a 1-year low of $24.58 and a 1-year high of $35.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 23.08, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.65.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 9.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.11 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that NiSource will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NiSource

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

About NiSource

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.