NiSource (NI) Expected to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) is expected to release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, February 12th. Analysts expect NiSource to post earnings of $0.47 per share and revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter. Persons that are interested in participating in the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NiSource stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $37.88. 3,051,426 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,520,772. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $17.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.54. NiSource has a 52 week low of $24.80 and a 52 week high of $38.83. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.06.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This is an increase from NiSource's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. NiSource's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on NI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on NiSource in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective on NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.50.

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.