BMO Capital Markets Increases NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Price Target to $70.00

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 0.46% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $58.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.20.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $69.68 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12-month low of $50.46 and a 12-month high of $71.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.02). NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. NorthWestern Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.830 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth $50,274,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 479.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 707,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,683,000 after purchasing an additional 585,768 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth about $32,238,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 65.6% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,222,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,708,000 after buying an additional 484,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 69.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,147,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,241,000 after buying an additional 471,125 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More NorthWestern Energy Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern Energy Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend raised to $0.67 (record Mar 13, pay Mar 31), a 1.5% increase that lifts yield to about 3.9% and supports income-oriented investors.
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets bumped its price target from $65 to $70 and set a “market perform” rating, signaling modest upside confidence. The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $3.21B capital plan and a 5% EPS growth target as merger and data-center deals advance — a multi-year growth plan that could support future rate base and earnings expansion. MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcript posted (useful for detail on guidance, rate case and M&A commentary). Yahoo Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript available for deeper read on drivers of results and management commentary. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $52 and assigned an “underweight” rating, signaling a sizable downside view versus the current price and likely weighing on sentiment. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $1.17 missed consensus by $0.02 (vs $1.19); revenue rose ~10.9% but the small EPS miss and higher operating expenses are near-term negatives. MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance set at $3.680–3.830, slightly below consensus (~3.82), which tempers upside expectations for the year.
• Negative Sentiment: 2025 annual results showed net income fell to $181.1M ($2.94/share) from $224.1M ($3.65/share) a year earlier, mainly due to higher operating expenses and regulatory disallowances — a material earnings decline that investors should monitor. Business Wire

About NorthWestern Energy Group

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE: NWE) is a regulated energy utility company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service territory that spans Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Corporation, it operates a diversified portfolio of generation assets, including thermal, hydroelectric and renewable facilities, as well as an extensive network of transmission and distribution lines.

NorthWestern Energy’s primary business activities encompass the delivery, transmission and sale of electric and natural gas services.