NiSource (NYSE:NI) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

NiSource (NYSE:NI) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. NiSource updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.020-2.070 EPS.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NI traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $45.16. 1,920,912 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,103,178. The company has a market cap of $21.55 billion, a PE ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.65. NiSource has a 52-week low of $35.64 and a 52-week high of $45.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $42.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.55.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.49%.

Key Headlines Impacting NiSource

Here are the key news stories impacting NiSource this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong revenue — NiSource reported $0.51 EPS vs. $0.49 expected and reported $1.90B in revenue (well above some estimates). Results show improved margins and modest YoY EPS growth, supporting near‑term earnings credibility. NiSource beats fourth-quarter profit estimates, reaffirms 2026 forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Reaffirmed FY‑2026 guidance and capex plan — management reiterated EPS guidance of $2.020–2.070 and outlined a robust capital spending roadmap to serve rising commercial demand, including AI/data centers, which supports growth visibility and utility rate base expansion. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in January (down ~20% to ~8.65M shares), lowering potential selling pressure and the days‑to‑cover (~1.9 days) — this reduction can make upside moves stickier by removing some short liquidity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector view: Jefferies still likes dividend-paying utilities but urges caution — the firm’s interest in utilities can support inflows to names like NI, but its caution signals potential valuation/headwind risk if macro or rate trends shift. Jefferies Loves 5 Dividend-Paying Utility Stocks but Warns of Caution on the Sector
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/community activity — NiSource subsidiaries (NIPSCO, Columbia Gas) are opening environmental grant applications; positive for regulatory/community relations but unlikely to move the stock materially. 2026 Environmental Action Grant applications are open

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays set a $45.00 target price on NiSource in a report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $46.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NiSource presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.11.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kimberly S. Cuccia sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total transaction of $345,040.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 41,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,778,983.11. This represents a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NI. State Street Corp increased its holdings in NiSource by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,580,768 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,107,647,000 after buying an additional 854,767 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 55,625.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,866,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $680,411,000 after acquiring an additional 16,836,630 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of NiSource by 52.0% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,434,245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $178,877,000 after acquiring an additional 1,516,296 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of NiSource by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,772,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $152,165,000 after acquiring an additional 247,332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 2,288.8% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,166,313 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $137,101,000 after purchasing an additional 3,033,764 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

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.