NiSource (NYSE:NI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $47.05 and last traded at $46.71, with a volume of 143322 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group upped their target price on NiSource from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets set a $50.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NiSource in a report on Monday, December 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.20.

NiSource Stock Up 1.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $22.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The business’s 50-day moving average is $42.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.65.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.02. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 13.99%.The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that NiSource, Inc will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This is an increase from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. 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 Tuesday, February 3rd. NiSource’s payout ratio is currently 61.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NiSource news, EVP Kimberly S. Cuccia sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $345,040.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 41,247 shares in the company, valued at $1,778,983.11. The trade was a 16.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 90.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 113.8% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA acquired a new position in shares of NiSource in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of NiSource by 2,668.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Finally, Country Trust Bank acquired a new position in NiSource during the second quarter worth $28,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.