Reaves W H & Co. Inc. Increases Holdings in NiSource, Inc $NI

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,424,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 415,089 shares during the quarter. NiSource accounts for 4.0% of Reaves W H & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Reaves W H & Co. Inc.’s holdings in NiSource were worth $226,537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NI. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $680,411,000 after acquiring an additional 16,836,630 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in NiSource in the 4th quarter worth about $336,852,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in NiSource by 2,288.8% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,166,313 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $137,101,000 after acquiring an additional 3,033,764 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in NiSource in the 4th quarter worth about $100,965,000. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in NiSource in the 3rd quarter worth about $84,086,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NI opened at $46.21 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.55. 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 1-year low of $38.45 and a 1-year high of $48.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $47.20 and its 200 day moving average is $45.02.

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

NiSource Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.70%.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In related news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,716,003.20. This trade represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.19, for a total value of $471,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,563,653.81. The trade was a 7.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,500 shares of company stock worth $1,305,675. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Barclays upped their target price on NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp began coverage on NiSource in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.33.

NiSource 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.