River Road Asset Management LLC Purchases 136,922 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,371,931 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 136,922 shares during the quarter. NorthWestern Energy Group accounts for approximately 1.7% of River Road Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 3.87% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $126,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 51,180 shares of the company's stock worth $2,736,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 13,808 shares of the company's stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,676 shares of the company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NWE. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays dropped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:NWE traded up $0.31 on Friday, hitting $56.10. The company had a trading volume of 639,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 334,123. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.38. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.48 and a 52 week high of $57.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group's payout ratio is 72.33%.

NorthWestern Energy Group 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.