NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.680-3.830 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.820. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

NorthWestern Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWE opened at $69.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. NorthWestern Energy Group has a 12 month low of $50.46 and a 12 month high of $71.25. The company has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.57 and its 200 day moving average is $61.94.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.02). NorthWestern Energy Group had a net margin of 14.81% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. NorthWestern Energy Group’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. NorthWestern Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.830 EPS. Research analysts predict that NorthWestern Energy Group will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

NorthWestern Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. This is a positive change from NorthWestern Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. NorthWestern Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 74.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on NWE. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of NorthWestern Energy Group from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on NorthWestern Energy Group from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on NorthWestern Energy Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.40.

Key Headlines Impacting NorthWestern Energy Group

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern Energy Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management unveiled a $3.21 billion capital plan and a ~5% EPS growth target and said merger and data-center deals are advancing — this supports a growth story (infrastructure spend + new customer/contract opportunities). Northwestern outlines $3.21B capital plan and 5% EPS growth target as merger and data center deals advance
• Positive Sentiment: The board boosted the quarterly dividend to $0.67 (1.5% increase), implying a ~3.9% yield — supports income-focused investors and signals confidence in cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call/transcript and management commentary are available for details on rate cases, capex timing and deal progress—useful for modeling but not immediate market-moving by themselves. NorthWestern Energy (NWE) Earnings Transcript Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS came in at $1.17, missing consensus by $0.02, and full-year net income and EPS declined year-over-year (net income $181.1M / $2.94 EPS vs $224.1M / $3.65 prior year), driven by higher operating expenses and a regulatory disallowance non‑cash charge — pressure on near-term earnings. NorthWestern Energy Reports 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was set at $3.68–$3.83, which is roughly in line but slightly below consensus (~$3.82) — investors may view this as cautious given the company’s growth plan, creating short-term stock pressure until execution clarity improves.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NorthWestern Energy Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 236,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,251,000 after buying an additional 104,471 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 91,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,913,000 after acquiring an additional 23,740 shares in the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its stake in NorthWestern Energy Group by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 11,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $744,000 after acquiring an additional 2,249 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in NorthWestern Energy Group by 94.5% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 348,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,503,000 after purchasing an additional 169,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRT Financial LP increased its position in shares of NorthWestern Energy Group by 35.0% during the fourth quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 34,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,216,000 after purchasing an additional 8,904 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NorthWestern Energy Group Company Profile

NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE: NWE) is a regulated energy utility company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service territory that spans Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Corporation, it operates a diversified portfolio of generation assets, including thermal, hydroelectric and renewable facilities, as well as an extensive network of transmission and distribution lines.

NorthWestern Energy’s primary business activities encompass the delivery, transmission and sale of electric and natural gas services.