NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Rating Increased to Buy at Guggenheim

Guggenheim upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. 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 report on Wednesday, January 15th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NWE stock opened at $53.97 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $53.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.91. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52 week low of $46.15 and a 52 week high of $57.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of 14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $345.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $344.06 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 15.15%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.82%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 70.08%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total transaction of $37,499.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,270.16. This trade represents a 6.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total value of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $873,591.20. The trade was a 30.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWE. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 51,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,736,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 13,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $738,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.8% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 62,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is 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.