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

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.3333.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of NiSource in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $118,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 116,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,503,587.48. The trade was a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 113.8% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Trading Up 0.4%

NI opened at $47.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $47.19 and its 200-day moving average is $44.86. NiSource has a 52-week low of $38.36 and a 52-week high of $48.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Analysts expect that NiSource will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is 59.70%.

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.