Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,354,479 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,884 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 2.21% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $68,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. VAUGHAN & Co SECURITIES INC. lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. VAUGHAN & Co SECURITIES INC. now owns 12,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $818,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 138.1% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 35,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,811,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, NorthWestern Energy Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.86.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NWE stock opened at $51.54 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $50.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.92. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.97 and a 12-month high of $59.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 0.43.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $475.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $471.60 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.31% and a net margin of 13.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.50%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total value of $68,512.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 31,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,614,560.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total value of $68,512.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 31,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,560.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 687 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total value of $35,243.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,832. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,602 shares of company stock worth $183,805 in the last ninety days. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

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.