William Blair Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 552,052 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,352 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.90% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $29,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,504,400 shares of the company's stock worth $143,302,000 after buying an additional 42,104 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,371,931 shares of the company's stock worth $126,803,000 after buying an additional 136,922 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,536,518 shares of the company's stock worth $87,935,000 after buying an additional 35,279 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,070,434 shares of the company's stock worth $61,250,000 after buying an additional 113,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 886,066 shares of the company's stock worth $47,369,000 after buying an additional 135,611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

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NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $0.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.32. The stock had a trading volume of 2,667,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 341,390. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.48 and a 12 month high of $57.49. The business's 50-day moving average is $54.39 and its 200 day moving average is $54.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. NorthWestern Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.33%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on NWE shares. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $57.50 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.25.

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.