Brokerages Set NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) PT at $37.50

NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Buy" from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $37.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on NiSource from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on NiSource in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 5.6% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 27,621 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $796,000 after buying an additional 1,471 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in NiSource by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 57,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 4,079 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of NiSource by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 580,488 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $16,724,000 after purchasing an additional 4,032 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 2.0% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 60,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,735,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 6.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 903,951 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,043,000 after purchasing an additional 58,319 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Price Performance

NI stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $36.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,607,321 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,997,049. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company's 50 day moving average is $36.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.58. NiSource has a fifty-two week low of $24.80 and a fifty-two week high of $38.56. The stock has a market cap of $16.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.05. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 14.63%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.00 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.19 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that NiSource will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

About NiSource

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.