NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,336,670 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,615 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 2.18% of NorthWestern Energy Group worth $74,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NWE. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 17,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 6,409 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 4.4% in the second quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 19,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $956,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 1.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 849,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,521,000 after buying an additional 12,091 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 0.3 %

NorthWestern Energy Group stock opened at $50.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.48. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.15 and a 12 month high of $57.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 15.15%. The firm had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $344.06 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.08%.

Insider Activity at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 700 shares of NorthWestern Energy Group stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.57, for a total value of $37,499.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,270.16. This trade represents a 6.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Anthony Thomas Clark sold 7,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.95, for a total transaction of $384,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $873,591.20. The trade was a 30.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NWE shares. Mizuho raised their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America initiated 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 for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $57.00.

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.