Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Raises Stake in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL boosted its position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,331,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,270 shares during the period. NiSource makes up approximately 1.2% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL owned 0.29% of NiSource worth $48,936,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in NiSource by 2.1% in 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 lifted 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 valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in NiSource by 4.1% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,457 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 13,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $483,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Performance

NYSE NI opened at $39.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.77 billion, a PE ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. NiSource Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.59 and a twelve month high of $40.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.73.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 13.94%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is a boost from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.14%.

Insider Activity at NiSource

In related news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 24,758 shares in the company, valued at $988,339.36. This trade represents a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upped their target price on NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on NiSource in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $38.13.

NiSource Profile

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.