Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $18.63 Million Stock Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 8.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 371,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,090 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $18,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 0.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 76,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,917,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.9% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.88.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:NWE opened at $56.85 on Wednesday. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $45.97 and a 12 month high of $57.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.54.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $319.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $310.40 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 14.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. Analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NorthWestern Energy Group

In other news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total value of $35,720.96. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,778 shares in the company, valued at $559,593.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

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.