NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Raises Dividend to $0.66 Per Share

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 12th,Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of 0.66 per share on Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65.

NorthWestern Energy Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 1.6% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 20 consecutive years. NorthWestern Energy Group has a dividend payout ratio of 68.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect NorthWestern Energy Group to earn $3.63 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 72.7%.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $51.96. 683,560 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 321,881. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $46.78 and a 52-week high of $57.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $53.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Insider Activity

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

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.