First Manhattan CO. LLC. Reduces Stock Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

First Manhattan CO. LLC. cut its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 98,295 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,950 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC.’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $5,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 78,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,213,000 after purchasing an additional 14,613 shares during the period. DC Investments Management LLC boosted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. DC Investments Management LLC now owns 44,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,396,000 after buying an additional 14,146 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $203,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 26,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 3,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth about $330,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 1.6 %

NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $56.14 on Friday. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $59.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $56.84 and its 200-day moving average is $54.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.40.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 68.75%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total transaction of $38,132.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,660.72. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on NWE. Guggenheim upgraded NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.25.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.