Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 58,668 Shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 25.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,362 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,668 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $9,805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter worth $33,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 140.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 142.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:NWE opened at $55.59 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $55.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.01. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.15 and a 52 week high of $57.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.47.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $344.06 million. NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 15.15%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s payout ratio is 70.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on NWE. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America started coverage on NorthWestern Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NorthWestern Energy Group 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.