First PREMIER Bank Decreases Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

First PREMIER Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 6.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 99,082 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,126 shares during the period. NorthWestern Energy Group makes up 1.3% of First PREMIER Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. First PREMIER Bank’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $5,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,780,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,049,000 after buying an additional 187,619 shares in the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $507,000. Dean Capital Management raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 10,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 3,838 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,088,000. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 31,407.7% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 4,083 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE:NWE traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $49.78. The stock had a trading volume of 80,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 341,766. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $45.97 and a 1-year high of $58.38. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.45.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $475.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.60 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 7.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 80.50%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total transaction of $68,512.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 31,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,560.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP John D. Hines sold 1,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.15, for a total value of $80,049.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,677,413.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total transaction of $68,512.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 31,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,560.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,602 shares of company stock valued at $183,805. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on NWE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.86.

NorthWestern Energy Group Profile

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.