Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Purchases New Position in NiSource, Inc $NI

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 24,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,139,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 113.8% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NiSource stock opened at $47.70 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. NiSource, Inc has a 12 month low of $38.45 and a 12 month high of $49.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.55.

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

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on NiSource in a research note on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore set a $52.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NiSource presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.19, for a total transaction of $471,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,563,653.81. This represents a 7.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,716,003.20. This trade represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.