NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $71.31 and last traded at $71.26, with a volume of 135480 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NWE shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.20.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.42.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.02). NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.81%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. NorthWestern Energy Group’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. NorthWestern Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.830 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.0% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 19,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 18,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE: NWE) is a regulated energy utility company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service territory that spans Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Corporation, it operates a diversified portfolio of generation assets, including thermal, hydroelectric and renewable facilities, as well as an extensive network of transmission and distribution lines.

NorthWestern Energy’s primary business activities encompass the delivery, transmission and sale of electric and natural gas services.