NiSource (NYSE:NI) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $47.24 and last traded at $47.2270, with a volume of 816768 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $50.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho upped their target price on NiSource from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays set a $45.00 price target on NiSource in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NiSource in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on NiSource from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.20.

NiSource Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $22.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.65.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.02. NiSource had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 8.07%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were paid a $0.30 dividend. This is a positive change from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. NiSource’s payout ratio is presently 61.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NI. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 15,171 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $634,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in NiSource by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 18,864 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors increased its position in NiSource by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Bridge Advisors now owns 21,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $915,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in NiSource by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in NiSource by 1.6% during the 4th 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 last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Company Profile

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.