Legal & General Group Plc Reduces Stock Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 339,082 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,065 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.55% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $18,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 51,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,736,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 13,808 shares of the company's stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the company's stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the company's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NWE shares. Barclays dropped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $1.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $58.77. 596,292 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 378,260. The firm's fifty day moving average is $55.63 and its 200-day moving average is $54.57. The stock has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.33. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $59.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.49%. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is presently 72.33%.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.