NI vs NWE Stock Comparison
Compare NI and NWE across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.
What is the main difference between NI and NWE?
NWE leads the current stock comparison as Northwestern Energy Group Inc, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
NiSource Inc vs Northwestern Energy Group Inc
NWE leads
NWE leads by 6 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Value, but the lead has narrowed from 12 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors NI on target upside.
Competitive: 4 of 6 evidence groups support NWE, its lead is narrowing, and its signal state is cleanly positive.
NiSource Inc
Northwestern Energy Group Inc
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors NWE over NI, 49 versus 43 as of Sep 11, 2026. NWE's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and value. NWE also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors NI. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NWE today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. NWE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 12 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
Compare NiSource Inc and Northwestern Energy Group Inc across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price-return comparison using available daily close history.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000
Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.
Compare NI and NWE against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality35 vs 47NWE +12
- Value48 vs 53NWE +5
- Momentum41 vs 45NWE +4
- Risk Resilience52 vs 51Even
4 of 6 evidence groups favor NWE. NWE’s edge is concentrated in quality and value.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.
Largest factor move: Momentum -2
No new signals fired.
Largest factor move: Momentum -4
No new signals fired.
NWE's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — NI and NWE both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
NWE (Northwestern Energy Group Inc): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and value.
NI (NiSource Inc): the counter-case, on analyst expectations.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
NWENWE on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
NWENWE on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
NWENWE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 5 points.
Momentum
NWENWE on the Momentum factor, by 4 points.
Lower downside
NINI carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.
Analyst upside
NINI on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors NWE, analyst targets favor NI. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | NI | NWE | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +22% | -8% | NI has more room |
| Target dispersion | +7.9% | +33% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 7 | 2 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NWE. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | NWE | 43 vs 49 |
| Fundamentals | NWEon balance | revenue growth -43.2% vs -21.1%; EPS growth -90.6% vs -60.2%; TTM ROE 9.6% vs 5.9%; gross margin 50.8% vs 66.5%; operating margin 27% vs 18.8% — NWE takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | NWE | Value 48 vs 53 |
| Technicals | NWE | Price vs 50-day -5.4% vs -2.5%; vs 200-day -8% vs 1.1% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 52 vs 51 |
| Analyst expectations | NI | Target upside 22% vs -8% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of NI and NWE and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 6 points.
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's signal state is cleanly positive. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on NWE.
How the comparison changed
119 daily snapshots · May 4 – Sep 10NWE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 12 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- NWE +6
- 43 vs 49
- 7 sessions ago
- NWE +9
- 41 vs 50
- 30 sessions ago
- NWE +12
- 38 vs 50
- 90 sessions ago
- Level
- 48 vs 48
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Jun 24 when NWE moved ahead of NI.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (2.83%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (2.49%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- MACD Bullish Crossover — bullish, momentum, short horizon
NI is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.02%, AIQ 0 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved down over the latest session (price -1.1%, AIQ -1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1NI closes the Quality gap — currently 12 points behind, the largest single contributor to NWE's edge.
- 2NI's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3NWE's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 6 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate NWE's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
NWE leads on balance| Metric | NI | NWE |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | -43.2% | -21.1% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -90.6% | -60.2% |
| Gross margin | 50.8% | 66.5% |
| Operating margin | 27% | 18.8% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 9.6% | 5.9% |
| Debt to equity | 1.83 | 1.24 |
Performance
NWE leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | NI | NWE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.4% | -0.8% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -11.2% | 0.4% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -10.5% | 4.5% |
| Year to date | -0.8% | 8.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 3% | 24% |
Technicals
NWE has the stronger structure| Metric | NI | NWE |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 47.7 | 46.1 |
| ADX (14) | 27.7 | 10 |
| Price vs 50-day | -5.4% | -2.5% |
| Price vs 200-day | -8% | 1.1% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 14.9% | 17.7% |
Risk
Split| Metric | NI | NWE |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.16 | 0.06 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0 | 0.87 |
| Sortino ratio | 0 | 1.33 |
| Max drawdown | -17.3% | -11% |
| Current drawdown | -15.6% | -4.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 18.2% | 23% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.9% | -2.2% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, NI or NWE?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, NWE is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 49 against NI's 43. The edge comes from quality and value. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is NI or NWE the better buy right now?
NWE carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
Why does the AIQ Score favor NWE over NI?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. NWE leads Quality by 12 points; NWE leads Value by 5 points; NWE leads Momentum by 4 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, NI or NWE?
Analyst price targets imply +22% upside for NI and -8% for NWE, so the Street currently favors NI. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors NWE. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, NI or NWE?
NWE is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. NWE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 5 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, NI or NWE?
NWE on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, NI or NWE?
NWE on the Momentum factor, by 4 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, NI or NWE?
NI is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. NI carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is NI more profitable than NWE?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 50.8% vs 66.5%; operating margin 27% vs 18.8%; ttm roe 9.6% vs 5.9%. NI leads on two measures and NWE on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is NWE's lead over NI getting stronger or weaker?
NWE lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 12 to 6 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands 4 times in that window, most recently on 2026-06-24, when NWE moved ahead of NI.
What would change the NI vs NWE verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: NI closes the Quality gap — currently 12 points behind, the largest single contributor to NWE's edge; NI's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; NWE's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 6 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate NWE's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about NI and NWE?
NI: 1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. NWE: 2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on NI is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On NWE it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare NI and NWE with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.