NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank reduced its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 13.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 71,265 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,328 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $3,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter worth $35,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 91.9% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 280.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NWE shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group 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 in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 0.4 %

NWE stock opened at $58.06 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $56.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $59.89.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. NorthWestern Energy Group’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.55%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

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.