NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $59.25.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NWE. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays dropped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.10 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $53.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.40. The firm has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $47.48 and a 52-week high of $57.49. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.