MQS Management LLC Takes Position in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 150.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $55.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.95. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.15 and a fifty-two week high of $57.48. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.47.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last issued its earnings results 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). NorthWestern Energy Group had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 15.15%. The company had revenue of $345.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $344.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.71%. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 70.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NWE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.