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

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.50.

NI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore set a $52.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, May 11th.

NiSource Stock Up 0.1%

NiSource stock opened at $46.95 on Monday. NiSource has a twelve month low of $38.45 and a twelve month high of $49.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $47.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.55.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 14.15%.The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that NiSource will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at NiSource

In related news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of NiSource stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total value of $715,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares in the company, valued at $1,716,003.20. The trade was a 29.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 117,899 shares in the company, valued at $5,563,653.81. This represents a 7.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 27,500 shares of company stock worth $1,305,675 in the last quarter. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of NiSource by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 891,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,228,000 after acquiring an additional 262,483 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in NiSource in the third quarter valued at $1,154,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $336,852,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of NiSource by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 5,424,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $226,537,000 after buying an additional 415,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, De Lisle Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at $4,176,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.