Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Acquires New Stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:NWE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NWE. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in NorthWestern Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 26,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank boosted its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NWE. Barclays reduced their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NorthWestern Energy Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.25.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NWE stock opened at $55.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.47. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.48 and a 12-month high of $57.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.77%. This is an increase from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 72.33%.

Insider Transactions at NorthWestern Energy Group

In related news, Director Britt E. Ide sold 702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.32, for a total value of $38,132.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,021 shares in the company, valued at $598,660.72. This represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

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.