NiSource (NYSE:NI) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

NiSource Trading Up 2.4%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.54. 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 PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.54.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. NiSource had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 8.31%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, analysts predict that NiSource, Inc will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

NiSource Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NiSource

In other NiSource news, EVP Melody Birmingham sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $118,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,503,587.48. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Melanie B. Berman sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was 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 owned 35,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,716,003.20. The trade was a 29.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have 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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of NiSource during the third quarter worth approximately $1,154,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in NiSource by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 891,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,228,000 after buying an additional 262,483 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $336,852,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in NiSource by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,136,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, De Lisle Partners LLP bought a new stake in NiSource during the 4th quarter valued at $4,176,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Company Profile

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.