ING Groep NV Takes $2.58 Million Position in NiSource, Inc $NI

ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 61,671 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,575,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Bridge Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 21,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $915,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.6% during the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 14,951 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $637,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Prosperity Consulting Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NiSource by 1.1% during the third quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 23,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

NI stock opened at $46.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65. NiSource, Inc has a 52 week low of $38.45 and a 52 week high of $48.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.23 and its 200 day moving average is $45.15. The firm has a market cap of $22.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.54.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Research analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.70%.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total value of $715,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,716,003.20. This represents a 29.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $118,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,503,587.48. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $1,305,675. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Evercore set a $52.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.33.

About NiSource

NiSource, Inc (NYSE: NI) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, that primarily owns and operates regulated local gas and electric utilities in the United States. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and provides the associated distribution and transmission services that keep local energy systems functioning.

The company’s core activities include natural gas distribution, electric transmission and distribution, system operations, maintenance and emergency response.