NiSource (NYSE:NI) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

NiSource (NYSE:NI) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.05, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.00 million. NiSource had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 14.76%. NiSource’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 EPS.

NiSource Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NiSource stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $35.19. 560,332 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,026,825. NiSource has a 52-week low of $24.58 and a 52-week high of $35.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.05 and a 200-day moving average of $30.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.51.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. NiSource’s payout ratio is currently 65.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NI shares. Mizuho began coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, July 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NiSource currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.63.

NiSource Company 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.