Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,323,212 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,458 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.16% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $70,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 1,245 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at $40,236,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 63,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,511,000 after purchasing an additional 19,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,849,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,175,000 after purchasing an additional 56,180 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NWE. Barclays lowered their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $58.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.60. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.48 and a twelve month high of $59.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

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.