NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.05 EPS

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05), Zacks reports. NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.21% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $345.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $344.06 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Down 3.3 %

NorthWestern Energy Group stock traded down $1.81 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.53. 200,060 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 340,730. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 52-week low of $46.15 and a 52-week high of $57.48. The firm has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $55.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.58.

NorthWestern Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NWE shares. Mizuho upped their price target 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. Bank of America began 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.14.

Insider Activity

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 688 shares of the company’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 directly owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $559,593.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

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.