NiSource (NYSE:NI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $49.08 and last traded at $48.98, with a volume of 5990691 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $47.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NI shares. Barclays upped their price objective on NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on NiSource in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered NiSource from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $52.00 price target on NiSource in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.33.

NiSource Price Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $23.48 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $47.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.52.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 EPS for the current 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 $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is presently 59.70%.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other NiSource news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,716,003.20. This represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $118,575.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares in the company, valued at $5,503,587.48. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NI. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of NiSource by 38.0% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,488 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in NiSource by 772.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 930,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,394,000 after purchasing an additional 823,358 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Royal Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in NiSource in the first quarter valued at about $3,571,000. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new position in NiSource in the first quarter worth about $1,207,000. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

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.