NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Sold by Simplicity Solutions LLC

Simplicity Solutions LLC reduced its stake in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 673 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in NiSource by 4.6% in the third quarter. Mastrapasqua Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in NiSource by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC raised its stake in NiSource by 2.4% in the first quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 18,197 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after buying an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in NiSource by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in NiSource by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Melanie B. Berman sold 11,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total transaction of $297,019.06. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $632,375.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on NI shares. StockNews.com upgraded NiSource from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd.

NiSource Stock Performance

Shares of NI stock opened at $27.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.14. The firm has a market cap of $12.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.49. NiSource Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.86 and a 1 year high of $28.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.85.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). NiSource had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. Analysts predict that NiSource Inc. will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.11%.

NiSource Company Profile

NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 3.3 million customers through approximately 55,000 miles of distribution main pipeline and the associated individual customer service lines; and 1,000 miles of transmission main pipeline in northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland.