# NorthWestern Energy Group Inc. (NWE) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Utilities / Multi-Utilities. Price $70.78, market value $4.4 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 25.6×** (5-yr avg 15.5×, 3-yr avg 16.4×). NorthWestern Energy Group Inc. trades at 25.6× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 15.5×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Utilities median in the September 2026 study was 21.2×. Forward P/E is 17.8×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 2.6×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 2.6×.
- **Price / book: 1.5×**. The shares trade at 1.5× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 13.2×**. Enterprise value is 13.2× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: -4.4%** (5-yr avg -5.4%). Free cash flow is negative: the business is consuming cash, which is normal for heavy investment phases but a warning otherwise.
- **Earnings yield: 3.9%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.9% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 18.8%**. 18.8% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 11.2%**. 11.2% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 6.3%**. 6.3% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 4.1%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 4.1%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 2.0%**. Each dollar of assets produces 2.0% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 6.4%** (3-yr 2.9%/yr). Revenue grew 6.4% over the last year.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -19.5%** (3-yr -3.3%/yr). Earnings per share fell 19.5%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 1.14**. Debt is 1.14 times equity, a leveraged balance sheet, which is normal for utilities.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 5.7×**. It would take 5.7 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, above the 3× level most lenders treat as comfortable.
- **Altman Z-score: 1.26**. A Z-score of 1.26 is in the distress zone, a signal to examine the balance sheet closely.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 3.79%** ($2.66 per share, trailing). NorthWestern Energy Group Inc. yields 3.79%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 89%**. 89% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving a thin cushion.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 18**. 18 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 1.9%/yr** (1-yr 1.5%). The dividend has grown 1.9% a year over five years.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 27.8%** (YTD 11.8%, 3-mo 1.4%). The shares are up 27.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -5.9%** (27.5% above the low). Trading 6% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 51**. An RSI of 51 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.09** (volatility 23%). Beta of 0.09 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=NWE · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/nwe

Not investment advice.