iSAM Funds UK Ltd Takes $1.96 Million Position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 56,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,957,000. NiSource comprises approximately 1.1% of iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in NiSource in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in NiSource in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in NiSource in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in NiSource in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

NI opened at $37.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.46. NiSource Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.80 and a 52-week high of $38.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.31 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $35.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.51.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.05. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 14.63%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $986.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NI shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on NiSource in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Bank of America started coverage on NiSource in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on NiSource from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on NiSource from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, NiSource currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

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.