Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC Decreases Holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC cut its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) by 40.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,013 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC’s holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group were worth $447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth about $34,257,000. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its position in NorthWestern Energy Group by 35.0% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,168,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,341,000 after acquiring an additional 562,548 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 188.1% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 335,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,080,000 after purchasing an additional 219,145 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 968,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,264,000 after buying an additional 208,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total value of $68,512.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 31,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,560.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other NorthWestern Energy Group news, VP Bobbi L. Schroeppel sold 1,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.75, for a total value of $68,512.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 31,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,560.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Britt E. Ide sold 687 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total value of $35,243.10. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $545,832. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,602 shares of company stock worth $183,805. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NorthWestern Energy Group Trading Down 0.1 %

NWE traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $51.33. The company had a trading volume of 57,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,093. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.97 and a 52 week high of $58.38. The stock has a market cap of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.70.

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

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NWE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.86.

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.