NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.25.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NWE. 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 research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Trading of NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $1.28 on Monday, hitting $55.81. 354,350 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 425,811. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.37. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 1 year low of $47.48 and a 1 year high of $57.49.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is presently 72.33%.

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.