NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

NorthWestern (NASDAQ:NWE) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. NorthWestern had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 7.62%. The firm had revenue of $516.60 million during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis.

NorthWestern Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NWE traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.53. 130,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 553,063. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. NorthWestern has a twelve month low of $50.46 and a twelve month high of $75.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.13 and a 200 day moving average of $66.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.32.

NorthWestern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. NorthWestern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NWE. Barclays upped their price target on NorthWestern from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NorthWestern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of NorthWestern from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of NorthWestern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $56.00 to $75.50 in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of NorthWestern in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.30.

Key NorthWestern News

Here are the key news stories impacting NorthWestern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: $0.67 per share payable June 30 (record/ex‑dividend June 15). That implies an annualized ~$2.68 and ~3.7% yield, which supports income‑oriented valuation and investor demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Slight EPS beat and revenue growth — NorthWestern reported an EPS figure that topped consensus by a small margin and revenue rose ~6.6% year‑over‑year, giving investors confidence in underlying operations and supporting the stock. Q1 2026 Press Release / Slides
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance set to $3.680–$3.830, essentially in line with the Street consensus (~3.75). This reduces the risk of a negative surprise but leaves limited upside from guidance alone.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts are available for details on drivers (weather, volumes, and regulatory items); useful for investors wanting to dig into margins and rate case timing. Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha) Earnings Transcript (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP net income and diluted EPS declined year‑over‑year (net income fell to $63.5M, diluted EPS ~$1.03) largely due to lower retail volumes, higher operating/administrative costs and merger‑related charges — a near‑term drag on margins and cash flow. BusinessWire: Q1 2026 Financial Results

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NorthWestern

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWE. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of NorthWestern by 34.3% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its position in NorthWestern by 3.4% during the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in NorthWestern by 31.1% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of NorthWestern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of NorthWestern by 263.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

About NorthWestern

NorthWestern Corporation (NASDAQ: NWE) is a regulated energy company that delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its Electric Operations and Gas Operations segments, the company operates an extensive network of distribution lines, substations and pipelines. NorthWestern’s services encompass the delivery of power sourced from regional transmission systems and the procurement, storage and distribution of natural gas to end users.

Electric delivery services include the management of distribution infrastructure, customer metering and system reliability programs.