United Services Automobile Association Has $411,000 Stock Position in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI)

United Services Automobile Association lessened its holdings in NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,189 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 635 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association’s holdings in NiSource were worth $411,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in NiSource by 153.2% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of NiSource during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NiSource in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of NiSource in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in NiSource during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NiSource Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NI opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.51. NiSource Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.26 and a 52-week high of $41.45. The firm has a market cap of $18.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $38.74 and its 200-day moving average is $36.72.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.05). NiSource had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 7.87%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that NiSource Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. NiSource’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on NI. UBS Group lifted their price objective on NiSource from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NiSource from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NiSource currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $38.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Gunnar Gode sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.92, for a total transaction of $219,560.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $988,339.36. This trade represents a 18.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About NiSource

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.