Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Raises Stock Holdings in NiSource, Inc $NI

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 472,429 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,091 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned approximately 0.10% of NiSource worth $19,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NI. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of NiSource by 113.8% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In other news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total value of $715,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,716,003.20. The trade was a 29.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $118,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,503,587.48. The trade was a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NiSource Price Performance

NI stock opened at $47.66 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $22.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.55. NiSource, Inc has a 52-week low of $38.45 and a 52-week high of $48.98.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 14.15%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Barclays increased their target price on NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore set a $52.00 target price on NiSource in a report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, KeyCorp assumed coverage on NiSource in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.33.

NiSource Profile

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.