NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.30.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp dropped their price target on NiSource from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on NiSource in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on NiSource from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of NiSource from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total transaction of $715,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,716,003.20. This represents a 29.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.19, for a total value of $471,900.00. Following the completion of 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,305,675 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in NiSource by 60.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 30,494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,452 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of NiSource by 41.6% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 39,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 11,671 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the first quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of NiSource by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 49,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,986,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,054,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Stock Up 0.6%

NiSource stock opened at $45.09 on Friday. NiSource has a fifty-two week low of $38.45 and a fifty-two week high of $49.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.40. The stock has a market cap of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 22.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.55.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.06. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Research analysts predict that NiSource will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s payout ratio is presently 59.70%.

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.