Short Interest in NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NI) Expands By 32.3%

by · The Cerbat Gem

NiSource, Inc (NYSE:NIGet Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 11,367,601 shares, an increase of 32.3% from the February 12th total of 8,591,564 shares. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,108,401 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,108,401 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NI. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NiSource from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. BMO Capital Markets set a $50.00 price target on shares of NiSource in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of NiSource from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NiSource from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of NiSource from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.20.

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NiSource Stock Performance

NI stock traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $47.39. 3,458,669 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,941,515. NiSource has a 1 year low of $35.64 and a 1 year high of $47.70. The company has a market cap of $22.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

NiSource (NYSE:NIGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. NiSource had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 13.99%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. NiSource has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that NiSource will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NiSource Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from NiSource’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 3rd. NiSource’s payout ratio is currently 61.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in NiSource in the 3rd quarter worth $84,086,000. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its position in shares of NiSource by 195.5% in the second quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 182,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,380,000 after purchasing an additional 121,043 shares during the period. Williamson Legacy Group LLC grew its position in shares of NiSource by 138.7% in the second quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 29,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 17,271 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 10.6% during the second quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 340,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,737,000 after purchasing an additional 32,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of NiSource by 1.3% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,215,924 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $170,070,000 after purchasing an additional 55,515 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NiSource

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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.

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