NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to "Buy" Rating

LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $57.50 target price on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. 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 note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $53.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.50.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 230,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 310,614. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $53.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12-month low of $46.15 and a 12-month high of $57.49. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $344.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.08%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total value of $384,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,816 shares in the company, valued at $873,591.20. This represents a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,270.16. This represents a 6.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,903 shares of the company's stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 62,205 shares of the company's stock worth $3,559,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.