Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 560,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,978,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.91% of NorthWestern Energy Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 879,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,032,000 after buying an additional 31,468 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $265,000. Versor Investments LP increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 10,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC now owns 21,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.25.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.10 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $47.48 and a one year high of $57.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $53.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.40.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.33%.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.