NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $57.49 and last traded at $57.48, with a volume of 72950 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $56.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays upped their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $57.00.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Up 0.4 %

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.47.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $344.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.08%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at $35,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.