Thomasville National Bank Boosts Stake in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Thomasville National Bank lifted its stake in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 567,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,364 shares during the quarter. NiSource accounts for about 1.5% of Thomasville National Bank's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Thomasville National Bank owned about 0.12% of NiSource worth $20,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in NiSource during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the third quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in NiSource in the third quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

NiSource Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NI stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $36.36. 3,594,216 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,524,849. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company's 50-day moving average price is $36.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.97. The company has a market cap of $16.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.54. NiSource Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.80 and a 12 month high of $38.56.

NiSource (NYSE:NI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.05. NiSource had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 8.27%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $986.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that NiSource Inc. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NI shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on NiSource from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NiSource has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.50.

NiSource Company 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.