NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.89.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on NI shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In other NiSource news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in NiSource by 88.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,902,538 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $516,373,000 after buying an additional 6,991,608 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 185.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 9,244,744 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $339,837,000 after acquiring an additional 6,001,486 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,977,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $195,745,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in NiSource by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,199,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $301,427,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,262 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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NiSource Trading Down 1.0 %

NI traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $39.18. 10,561,717 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,706,512. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $38.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.58. NiSource has a 1-year low of $26.26 and a 1-year high of $41.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business earned $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that NiSource 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. NiSource's payout ratio is 69.14%.

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.