Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Buys 803 Shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 803 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $292,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in NiSource by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,553 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in NiSource by 82.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in NiSource during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Tobam grew its stake in shares of NiSource by 3,994.6% in the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 2,293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 2,237 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NI stock opened at $28.70 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.35 and its 200-day moving average is $26.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.85. NiSource Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.86 and a 52 week high of $29.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.49.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.02. NiSource had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 10.10%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that NiSource Inc. will post 1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded NiSource from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 24th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Melanie B. Berman sold 11,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total transaction of $297,019.06. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $632,375.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.