| Indicators | Browse All

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NWE)

Utilities | Utilities - Regulated Electric | Sioux Falls, United States | NasdaqGS
73.20 USD +0.49 (0.674%) ⇧ (July 13, 2026, 4 p.m. EDT)
After hours: 73.20

Short-term:★★⯪☆☆Long-term:★★⯪☆☆Dividends:★★☆☆☆
Hot Take | July 11, 2026, 3:55 a.m. EDT

NorthWestern Energy presents a classic 'value trap' scenario where a generous dividend yield masks deteriorating operational fundamentals. While the stock recently rallied nearly 25% on the prospect of merging with Black Hills to form Bright Horizon, the underlying business is struggling: earnings are contracting at a 17.6% annualized rate, free cash flow is negative, and the payout ratio sits at a precarious 97.4%, leaving almost no room for error if the merger timeline slips or regulatory hurdles arise. The massive debt load relative to equity further constrains flexibility. Although the options market is aggressively betting on a continued rally toward the $80 strike, this appears to be a speculative trade on the merger catalyst rather than a vote of confidence in the company's standalone health. For investors seeking a reliable utility compounder, the combination of shrinking earnings, negative cash flow, and a payout that consumes nearly all operating cash makes this a difficult hold despite the attractive headline yield.

Model Selection — Backtest MAE (log-scale, lower is better)
ModelMAE
MSTL ✓0.019429
AutoARIMA0.021143
AutoETS0.021143
AutoTheta0.028363

Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: MSTL

Forecast Reliability
Score 45%
H-stat 3.00
Ljung-Box p 0.000
Jarque-Bera p 0.000
Excess Kurtosis 2.68
Attribute Value
Sector Utilities
Ex Dividend Date 2026-06-14
Last Dividend Date 2026-06-14
Debt to Equity Ratio 118.354
Revenue per Share 26.729
Market Cap 4,502,386,688
Trailing P/E 26.91
Forward P/E 18.44
Beta 0.36
Profit Margins 10.21%
Previous Name NorthWestern Corporation
Website https://www.northwesternenergy.com

As of July 11, 2026, 3:55 a.m. EDT: Options activity shows a distinct bullish skew with heavy open interest in out-of-the-money calls (particularly the $80 strike for September expiration), while put volume remains negligible. Implied volatility is elevated for near-term expirations, suggesting traders are pricing in potential upside moves driven by the merger announcement and data center boom narrative, rather than downside protection.


Dividend Data

Yield Summary
Last Yield 1yr Yield 3yr Avg 5yr Avg
0.95% 4.08% 4.70% 4.58%
Dividend History
Date Dividend Yield %
2026-06-15 0.670 0.946729
2026-03-13 0.670 0.979246
2025-12-15 0.660 0.990842
2025-09-15 0.660 1.165460
2025-06-13 0.660 1.278574
2025-03-14 0.660 1.176471
2024-12-13 0.650 1.276262
2024-09-13 0.650 1.161959
2024-06-14 0.650 1.310220
2024-03-14 0.650 1.346313
2023-12-14 0.640 1.229587
2023-09-14 0.640 1.245136
2023-06-14 0.640 1.102688
2023-03-14 0.640 1.132343
2022-12-14 0.630 1.087144
2022-09-14 0.630 1.157450
2022-06-14 0.630 1.140065
2022-03-14 0.630 1.066892
2021-12-14 0.620 1.121157
2021-09-14 0.620 1.002587
2021-06-14 0.620 0.964981
2021-03-12 0.620 0.982256
2020-12-14 0.600 1.077199
2020-09-14 0.600 1.199041
2020-06-12 0.600 1.079525
2020-03-12 0.600 0.972290
2019-12-12 0.575 0.824491
2019-09-12 0.575 0.783913
2019-06-13 0.575 0.793432
2019-03-14 0.575 0.818738
2018-12-13 0.550 0.853375
2018-09-13 0.550 0.914533
2018-06-14 0.550 1.027078
2018-03-14 0.550 1.075900
2017-12-14 0.525 0.861927
2017-09-14 0.525 0.886375
2017-06-13 0.525 0.839731
2017-03-13 0.525 0.921538
2016-12-13 0.500 0.872753
2016-09-13 0.500 0.883392
2016-06-13 0.500 0.826583
2016-03-11 0.500 0.830703
2015-12-11 0.480 0.911162
2015-09-11 0.480 0.965406
2015-06-11 0.480 0.941176
2015-03-11 0.480 0.941730
2014-12-11 0.400 0.745851
2014-09-11 0.400 0.829187
2014-06-11 0.400 0.833333
2014-03-12 0.400 0.878542
2013-12-11 0.380 0.913023
2013-09-11 0.380 0.920766
2013-06-12 0.380 0.944804
2013-03-13 0.380 0.976111
2012-12-12 0.370 1.066590
2012-09-12 0.370 1.041374
2012-06-13 0.370 1.035544
2012-03-13 0.370 1.043135
2011-12-13 0.360 1.057890
2011-09-13 0.360 1.119055
2011-06-13 0.360 1.129589
2011-03-11 0.360 1.225741
2010-12-13 0.340 1.192146
2010-09-13 0.340 1.209534
2010-06-11 0.340 1.307692
2010-03-11 0.340 1.310717
2009-12-11 0.335 1.273280
2009-09-11 0.335 1.387738
2009-06-11 0.335 1.524113
2009-03-11 0.335 1.777188
2008-12-11 0.330 1.604278
2008-09-11 0.330 1.281553
2008-06-11 0.330 1.250000
2008-03-12 0.330 1.318945
Additional Data
dividendRate 2.66
dividendYield 3.66
exDividendDate 2026-06-15
trailingAnnualDividendRate 2.65
trailingAnnualDividendYield 0.036446158
lastDividendValue 0.67
lastDividendDate 2026-06-15
dividendDate 2026-06-30

Info Dump

Attribute Value
52 Week Change 0.38416147
Address1 3,010 W. 69th Street
All Time High 80.52
All Time Low 16.47
Ask 93.95
Ask Size 2
Audit Risk 4
Average Analyst Rating 2.6 - Hold
Average Daily Volume10 Day 560,370
Average Daily Volume3 Month 503,775
Average Volume 503,775
Average Volume10Days 560,370
Beta 0.361
Bid 52.66
Bid Size 2
Board Risk 1
Book Value 47.296
City Sioux Falls
Compensation As Of Epoch Date 1,767,139,200
Compensation Risk 1
Country United States
Crypto Tradeable 0
Currency USD
Current Price 73.2
Current Ratio 0.702
Custom Price Alert Confidence HIGH
Date Short Interest 1,782,777,600
Day High 73.82
Day Low 72.7
Debt To Equity 118.354
Display Name NorthWestern Energy
Dividend Date 1,782,777,600
Dividend Rate 2.66
Dividend Yield 3.66
Earnings Call Timestamp End 1,785,441,600
Earnings Call Timestamp Start 1,785,441,600
Earnings Growth -0.176
Earnings Quarterly Growth -0.175
Earnings Timestamp 1,785,355,200
Earnings Timestamp End 1,785,355,200
Earnings Timestamp Start 1,785,355,200
Ebitda 577,852,992
Ebitda Margins 0.35202998
Enterprise To Ebitda 13.739
Enterprise To Revenue 4.837
Enterprise Value 7,939,316,736
Eps Current Year 3.73282
Eps Forward 3.96924
Eps Trailing Twelve Months 2.72
Esg Populated 0
Ex Dividend Date 1,781,481,600
Exchange NMS
Exchange Data Delayed By 0
Exchange Timezone Name America/New_York
Exchange Timezone Short Name EDT
Fax 605 978 2910
Fifty Day Average 70.931
Fifty Day Average Change 2.2689972
Fifty Day Average Change Percent 0.031988796
Fifty Two Week Change Percent 38.416145
Fifty Two Week High 75.18
Fifty Two Week High Change -1.9800034
Fifty Two Week High Change Percent -0.026336836
Fifty Two Week Low 51.31
Fifty Two Week Low Change 21.889996
Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent 0.4266224
Fifty Two Week Range 51.31 - 75.18
Financial Currency USD
First Trade Date Milliseconds 1,198,852,200,000
Five Year Avg Dividend Yield 4.53
Float Shares 61,105,754
Forward Eps 3.96924
Forward P E 18.441816
Free Cashflow -187,359,504
Full Exchange Name NasdaqGS
Full Time Employees 1,667
Gmt Off Set Milliseconds -14,400,000
Governance Epoch Date 1,782,864,000
Gross Margins 0.56145
Gross Profits 921,620,992
Has Pre Post Market Data 1
Held Percent Insiders 0.00653
Held Percent Institutions 1.00491
Implied Shares Outstanding 61,508,016
Industry Utilities - Regulated Electric
Industry Disp Utilities - Regulated Electric
Industry Key utilities-regulated-electric
Is Earnings Date Estimate 0
Language en-US
Last Dividend Date 1,781,481,600
Last Dividend Value 0.67
Last Fiscal Year End 1,767,139,200
Long Business Summary NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc., doing business as NorthWestern Energy, provides electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and diversified industrial customers. It generates, purchases, transmits, and distributes electricity; and produces, purchases, stores, transmits, and distributes natural gas, as well as owns municipal franchises to provide natural gas service in the communities. The company operates 6,596 miles of electric transmission and 18,946 miles of electric distribution lines with approximately 397 transmission and distribution substations; and 2,133 miles of natural gas transmission and 5,939 miles of natural gas distribution lines with approximately 134 city gate stations in Montana. It also operates 1,344 miles of electric transmission and 2,386 miles of electric distribution lines in South Dakota with approximately 123 transmission and distribution substations; and 55 miles of natural gas transmission, 1,853 miles of natural gas distribution lines in South Dakota, and 836 miles of natural gas distribution lines Nebraska. The company provides electricity and/or natural gas to approximately 850,300 customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Yellowstone National Park. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1923 and is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Long Name NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.
Market us_market
Market Cap 4,502,386,688
Market State POSTPOST
Max Age 86,400
Message Board Id finmb_184841
Most Recent Quarter 1,774,915,200
Name Change Date 2,026-07-13
Net Income To Common 167,608,000
Next Fiscal Year End 1,798,675,200
Non Diluted Market Cap 4,472,247,843
Number Of Analyst Opinions 6
Open 72.71
Operating Cashflow 400,476,992
Operating Margins 0.23033
Overall Risk 3
Payout Ratio 0.9743
Peg Ratio 2.91
Phone 605 978 2900
Post Market Change 0.0
Post Market Change Percent 0.0
Post Market Price 73.2
Post Market Time 1,783,981,118
Prev Name NorthWestern Corporation
Previous Close 72.71
Price Eps Current Year 19.609838
Price Hint 2
Price To Book 1.5476995
Price To Sales Trailing12 Months 2.7428508
Profit Margins 0.102110006
Quick Ratio 0.281
Quote Source Name Nasdaq Real Time Price
Quote Type EQUITY
Recommendation Key hold
Recommendation Mean 2.57143
Region US
Regular Market Change 0.489998
Regular Market Change Percent 0.673907
Regular Market Day High 73.82
Regular Market Day Low 72.7
Regular Market Day Range 72.7 - 73.82
Regular Market Open 72.71
Regular Market Previous Close 72.71
Regular Market Price 73.2
Regular Market Time 1,783,972,800
Regular Market Volume 464,913
Return On Assets 0.02427
Return On Equity 0.057740003
Revenue Growth 0.066
Revenue Per Share 26.729
Sand P52 Week Change 0.20847368
Sector Utilities
Sector Disp Utilities
Sector Key utilities
Share Holder Rights Risk 7
Shares Outstanding 61,508,016
Shares Percent Shares Out 0.0238
Shares Short 1,464,714
Shares Short Previous Month Date 1,780,012,800
Shares Short Prior Month 1,910,536
Short Name NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.
Short Percent Of Float 0.0315
Short Ratio 2.19
Source Interval 15
State SD
Symbol NWE
Target High Price 78.5
Target Low Price 54.0
Target Mean Price 71.91667
Target Median Price 75.5
Total Cash 5,861,000
Total Cash Per Share 0.095
Total Debt 3,442,790,912
Total Revenue 1,641,499,008
Tradeable 0
Trailing Annual Dividend Rate 2.65
Trailing Annual Dividend Yield 0.036446158
Trailing Eps 2.72
Trailing P E 26.911764
Trailing Peg Ratio 2.9131
Triggerable 1
Two Hundred Day Average 67.10085
Two Hundred Day Average Change 6.099144
Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent 0.090895176
Type Disp Equity
Volume 464,913
Website https://www.northwesternenergy.com
Zip 57,108