NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Purchased by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 436,224 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,572 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 0.10% of NiSource worth $15,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NiSource in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NiSource during the first quarter worth $31,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of NiSource during the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on NiSource from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Bank of America initiated coverage on NiSource in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $37.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on NiSource from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.29.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NI traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $34.82. 2,653,350 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,038,485. The company's 50-day moving average is $33.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.63. NiSource Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.58 and a 1 year high of $35.48. The company has a market capitalization of $15.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 14.76%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. NiSource's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.03%.

NiSource Profile

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.