NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $67.49 and last traded at $67.4930, with a volume of 107510 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $66.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $58.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.75.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.42.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NWE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 3,221.4% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1,220.0% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 299.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 803 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.