Merrillville, Indiana-based NiSource Inc. (NI) is an energy holding company that operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. The company has a market cap of $20.8 billion and operates in two segments, Columbia Operations and NIPSCO Operations, and provides natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
The energy supplier’s shares have lagged behind the broader market over the past year, growing 3.7% compared to the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 21.5% surge. Moreover, in 2026, the stock has risen nearly 3.9%, underperforming the SPX’s 12.6% rise as well.
Focusing on its industry benchmark, the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) has advanced 1.3% over the past year, underperforming the stock. In 2026, XLU has grown 1.6% and has also lagged behind the stock.
On Aug. 6, NI stock rose 1.1% following the release of its Q2 2026 earnings. The company’s revenue for the quarter amounted to $1.3 billion, topping the Street’s estimates. Moreover, its adjusted EPS came in at $0.16, also coming in on top of Wall Street’s forecasts. NiSource expects full-year earnings in the range of $2.02 to $2.07 per share and long-term growth rates of 6% to 8% through 2030, reflecting confidence in its financial plan. The company is well positioned to take advantage of the energy demand as more data centers start to show up, with already having a robust data center pipeline with 3 gigawatts in active negotiations and line of sight to 2 gigawatts of additional potential customers.
For the current year, which ends in December, analysts expect NI’s EPS to rise 7.9% to $2.05 on a diluted basis. The company has met or surpassed the consensus estimate in three of the last four quarters, while missing on one occasion.
Among the 17 analysts covering NI stock, the consensus is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 12 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” and four “Holds.”
The configuration has remained unchanged over the past months.
On July 22, BMO Capital analyst James Thalacker maintained a “Buy” rating for NI stock and raised its price target from $49 to $50.
NI’s mean price target of $50.85 indicates a premium of 17.2% from the current market price. Its Street-high target of $55 implies a robust 26.8% upside from current levels.
On the date of publication, Aritra Gangopadhyay did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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