NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Stock Has Average Target Price of $48.58 According to Analysts

Shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $48.58.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of NiSource from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered NiSource from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. KeyCorp lowered their price target on NiSource from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank began coverage on NiSource in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on NiSource in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NiSource news, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 37,509 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.40, for a total transaction of $1,590,381.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 78,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,329,544.80. This trade represents a 32.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the second quarter worth about $2,613,234,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the 2nd quarter worth about $574,295,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in NiSource by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 51,504,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,150,818,000 after buying an additional 8,240,227 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in NiSource in the 2nd quarter valued at about $179,838,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in NiSource in the 2nd quarter valued at about $172,516,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

Shares of NI opened at $41.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.55. NiSource has a fifty-two week low of $38.42 and a fifty-two week high of $49.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $40.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.84.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 13.20%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Equities analysts predict that NiSource will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.83%.

About NiSource

NiSource Inc (NYSE:NI) is a regulated utility company that delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its operations are primarily conducted through local utility subsidiaries, including Columbia Gas and Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

NiSource’s natural gas businesses distribute gas through networks serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky. NIPSCO provides regulated natural gas and electric service in northern Indiana, where the company also operates electric generation and transmission and distribution infrastructure.