NiSource, Inc $NI Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 8.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,400,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 110,200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.29% of NiSource worth $65,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in NiSource by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 891,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,228,000 after purchasing an additional 262,483 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $336,852,000. De Lisle Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $4,176,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 5,424,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $226,537,000 after buying an additional 415,089 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 320.7% in the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 65,854 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,750,000 after buying an additional 50,200 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on NiSource from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of NiSource from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In related news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,716,003.20. The trade was a 29.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $118,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares in the company, valued at $5,503,587.48. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NiSource stock opened at $45.32 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.19. The company has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.55. NiSource, Inc has a one year low of $38.45 and a one year high of $49.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is 59.70%.

About NiSource

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.