NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Now Covered by Analysts at Bank of America

Bank of America started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) in a report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock.

NWE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $54.88.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE NWE opened at $55.46 on Thursday. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $45.97 and a 1 year high of $55.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.87 and a 200 day moving average of $51.04.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $319.90 million during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total transaction of $35,720.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $559,593.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.