NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) Posts Earnings Results

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. NorthWestern had a return on equity of 7.62% and a net margin of 11.24%.The firm had revenue of $516.60 million for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis.

NorthWestern Stock Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:NWE traded up $1.00 on Thursday, hitting $72.34. The stock had a trading volume of 429,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,337. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. NorthWestern has a 52 week low of $50.46 and a 52 week high of $75.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $69.13 and its 200 day moving average is $66.74. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.32.

NorthWestern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. NorthWestern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern during the first quarter worth $5,708,000. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of NorthWestern during the first quarter worth about $220,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of NorthWestern by 13.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 154,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,957,000 after acquiring an additional 18,454 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern in the 2nd quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 23,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,775 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of NorthWestern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of NorthWestern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $56.00 to $75.50 in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $54.00 price objective on shares of NorthWestern in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on NorthWestern from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on NorthWestern from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NorthWestern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.30.

NorthWestern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported an operational earnings beat: NorthWestern posted $1.31 EPS for Q1, beating the $1.29 consensus — a near-term positive surprise that typically supports the share price. Earnings / Press Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 (annualized yield ~3.7%), reinforcing the stock’s income appeal and supporting investor demand for the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue growth: Q1 revenue was $516.6M, up ~6.6% year‑over‑year, showing underlying demand improvement in the business. BusinessWire: Q1 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Updated FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $3.680–$3.830 versus the ~$3.75 consensus — roughly in line with Street expectations, so the guidance is not a strong catalyst either way. Earnings Transcript / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted a call and posted slides (useful for active investors to assess drivers and cost items); the slide deck and call recording are available for deeper review. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP net income fell to $63.5M (diluted EPS $1.03) vs $76.9M ($1.25) a year earlier — the press release cites higher operating, administrative/general and merger‑related costs as the primary drivers of the decline, which may pressure sentiment among more conservative investors. BusinessWire: Q1 Results

NorthWestern Company Profile

NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ: NWE) is a regulated energy company that delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its Electric Operations and Gas Operations segments, the company operates an extensive network of distribution lines, substations and pipelines. NorthWestern’s services encompass the delivery of power sourced from regional transmission systems and the procurement, storage and distribution of natural gas to end users.

Electric delivery services include the management of distribution infrastructure, customer metering and system reliability programs.