NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,646,241 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,397 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.42% of NiSource worth $244,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Securian Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $922,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 31,450 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its position in shares of NiSource by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 5,648 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in shares of NiSource by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 48,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,788,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in NiSource by 4.1% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,457 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NI shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $39.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total value 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. The trade was a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NI traded down $2.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $37.23. The stock had a trading volume of 8,391,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,072,319. The firm has a market cap of $17.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.51. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.07. NiSource Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.26 and a twelve month high of $41.45.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 EPS 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 last year, the company posted $0.53 EPS. Research analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's payout ratio is 69.14%.

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.