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

Shares of NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.3333.

A number of analysts recently commented on NI shares. Barclays increased their price objective on NiSource from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NiSource from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $52.00 price target on NiSource in a research note on Monday, May 11th.

NiSource Stock Down 2.3%

NI opened at $46.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $22.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.57. NiSource has a 52 week low of $38.13 and a 52 week high of $48.98. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.70.

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 business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 14.15%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that NiSource will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.70%.

Institutional Trading of NiSource

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in NiSource by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 62,408,533 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,606,180,000 after buying an additional 1,032,630 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $2,150,818,000 after buying an additional 8,240,227 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in NiSource by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,735,119 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,116,459,000 after buying an additional 1,154,351 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in NiSource by 55,625.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,866,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $680,411,000 after buying an additional 16,836,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NiSource by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,459,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $518,301,000 after purchasing an additional 245,110 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.