NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Position Cut by TD Private Client Wealth LLC

TD Private Client Wealth LLC trimmed its position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 88.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 76,379 shares during the quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC's holdings in NiSource were worth $352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in NiSource by 153.2% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Stock Down 0.6 %

NI stock traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $39.76. 2,455,244 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,695,720. The company has a market capitalization of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. NiSource Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.26 and a twelve month high of $41.45.

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NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.53 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of NiSource from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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 stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares in the company, valued at $988,339.36. This represents 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 through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.