Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its holdings in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of NiSource by 2.1% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in NiSource by 12.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,457 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 13,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in NiSource by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 27,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Price Performance

NYSE:NI opened at $38.07 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $36.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.14. The firm has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.08, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.46. NiSource Inc. has a one year low of $24.80 and a one year high of $38.83.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This is an increase from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on NI. Barclays raised their price target on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $39.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.50.

About NiSource

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.