NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.8182.

Several analysts have recently commented on NI shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of NiSource in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH dropped their target price on shares of NiSource from $51.50 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on NiSource from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 37,509 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.40, for a total transaction of $1,590,381.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 78,527 shares in the company, valued at $3,329,544.80. The trade was a 32.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 113.8% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:NI opened at $40.82 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $45.33 and its 200 day moving average is $46.25. NiSource has a 12-month low of $38.45 and a 12-month high of $49.21. The stock has a market cap of $19.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 13.20%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that NiSource will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is 63.83%.

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.