NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Bought by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 0.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,235,009 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,654 shares during the quarter. NorthWestern Energy Group makes up approximately 1.7% of River Road Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. River Road Asset Management LLC owned approximately 3.65% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $127,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NWE. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 7.0% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 62,205 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,559,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. purchased a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 81.0% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,914,000 after purchasing an additional 22,784 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,234 shares of the company's stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded up $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.21. 335,448 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 344,443. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.15 and a fifty-two week high of $57.48.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $344.06 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.89%. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is currently 70.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NWE shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho boosted their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $56.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $559,593.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.