NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) Shares Sold by Schnieders Capital Management LLC

Schnieders Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,554 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 495 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in NiSource were worth $572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in NiSource in the third quarter worth approximately $283,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in NiSource by 5.9% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 14,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 777 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS lifted its position in NiSource by 4.2% in the third quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 81,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 3,257 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of NiSource by 41.4% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,698 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NiSource in the third quarter valued at $225,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at NiSource

In other news, SVP Melanie B. Berman sold 11,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total transaction of $297,019.06. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 23,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $632,375.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

NiSource Price Performance

NYSE:NI traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,437,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,224,910. NiSource Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.86 and a fifty-two week high of $28.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.82 and a 200-day moving average of $26.25.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 12.98%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that NiSource Inc. will post 1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. NiSource’s payout ratio is 72.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on NI. StockNews.com raised NiSource from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd.

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.