Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. Trims Stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,876 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,887 shares during the quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter valued at about $310,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 429.0% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 105,103 shares of the company's stock worth $5,353,000 after purchasing an additional 85,235 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.3% in the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 31,674 shares of the company's stock worth $1,613,000 after buying an additional 2,684 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE NWE traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 334,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 499,055. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.15 and a 1 year high of $57.48. 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 market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $55.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $345.20 million for 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.71%. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NWE. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. StockNews.com cut NorthWestern Energy Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $57.00.

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.