Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Invests $401,000 in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,504 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $401,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 150.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $54.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 380,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,300. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $53.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.02. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.15 and a 52 week high of $57.49. The firm has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 70.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total transaction of $384,430.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $873,591.20. The trade was a 30.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total transaction of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.