Meritage Portfolio Management Has $3.26 Million Holdings in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its holdings in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 122,890 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in NiSource were worth $3,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 4.6% in the third quarter. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in NiSource by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of NiSource by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spreng Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in NiSource by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spreng Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Down 0.3 %

NiSource stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $28.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,203,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,239,192. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.26. 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 12 month low of $22.86 and a 12 month high of $28.95. The company has a market capitalization of $12.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.49.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). NiSource had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.11%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of NiSource from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 24th. Barclays increased their price target on NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd.

NiSource 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.