NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target Increased to $56.00 by Analysts at Mizuho

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its target price upped by Mizuho from $52.00 to $56.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on NWE. StockNews.com lowered shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America initiated coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a buy rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $55.38.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NWE opened at $55.11 on Wednesday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a twelve month low of $46.15 and a twelve month high of $57.48. The stock has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $54.61 and its 200-day moving average is $52.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $319.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. On average, analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 80.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $559,593.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 76,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,917,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position 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 worth $859,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.