American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 0.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,968,413 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,748 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 6.48% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $198,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $456,000. Foundry Partners LLC grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 40.6% during the 2nd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 9,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 2,885 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,128,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,597,000 after buying an additional 19,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 56.7% during the 2nd quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 6,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at $559,593.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $55.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.52. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.97 and a 52-week high of $55.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.87 and a 200-day moving average of $51.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 0.46.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $319.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.69%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NWE shares. Bank of America started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. StockNews.com downgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.88.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

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.