NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Stock Holdings Lifted by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 133.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 84,705 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 48,367 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in NiSource were worth $3,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NI. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 153.2% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 3rd quarter valued at about $78,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at NiSource

In related news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of NiSource 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 24,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at $988,339.36. The trade was a 18.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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NiSource Stock Performance

NI traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $39.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,254,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,706,358. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.62 billion, a PE ratio of 24.46, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. NiSource Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.26 and a fifty-two week high of $41.45.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.89.

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.