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Side-by-side financial comparison of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NWE) and PIPER SANDLER COMPANIES (PIPR). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

PIPER SANDLER COMPANIES is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($667.0M vs $497.6M, roughly 1.3× NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.). PIPER SANDLER COMPANIES runs the higher net margin — 17.1% vs 12.8%, a 4.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, PIPER SANDLER COMPANIES posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (37.4% vs 6.6%). Over the past eight quarters, PIPER SANDLER COMPANIES's revenue compounded faster (39.2% CAGR vs 24.7%).

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is a utility company that serves South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana that is based in Sioux Falls. As of 2019, the company serves approximately 718,000 customers. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Sioux Falls while the headquarters for the South Dakota operations are in Huron, South Dakota.

Piper Sandler Companies is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company, focused on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, public offerings, public finance, institutional brokerage, investment management, and securities research. Through its principal subsidiary, Piper Sandler & Co., the company targets corporations, institutional investors, and public entities.

NWE vs PIPR — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
PIPR
PIPR
1.3× larger
PIPR
$667.0M
$497.6M
NWE
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
PIPR
PIPR
+30.8% gap
PIPR
37.4%
6.6%
NWE
Higher net margin
PIPR
PIPR
4.3% more per $
PIPR
17.1%
12.8%
NWE
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
PIPR
PIPR
Annualised
PIPR
39.2%
24.7%
NWE

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Revenue
$497.6M
$667.0M
Net Profit
$63.5M
$114.0M
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
22.9%
28.3%
Net Margin
12.8%
17.1%
Revenue YoY
6.6%
37.4%
Net Profit YoY
65.0%
EPS (diluted)
$6.41

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
$497.6M
Q4 25
$414.3M
$667.0M
Q3 25
$387.0M
$480.1M
Q2 25
$342.7M
$398.6M
Q1 25
$466.6M
$358.6M
Q4 24
$373.5M
$485.4M
Q3 24
$345.2M
$360.9M
Q2 24
$319.9M
$340.8M
Net Profit
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
$63.5M
Q4 25
$44.7M
$114.0M
Q3 25
$38.2M
$60.3M
Q2 25
$21.2M
$42.2M
Q1 25
$76.9M
$64.9M
Q4 24
$80.6M
$69.1M
Q3 24
$46.8M
$34.8M
Q2 24
$31.7M
$34.8M
Operating Margin
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
22.9%
Q4 25
14.5%
28.3%
Q3 25
20.7%
22.4%
Q2 25
17.7%
12.3%
Q1 25
26.7%
8.2%
Q4 24
24.6%
16.9%
Q3 24
19.7%
15.4%
Q2 24
19.3%
8.3%
Net Margin
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
12.8%
Q4 25
10.8%
17.1%
Q3 25
9.9%
12.6%
Q2 25
6.2%
10.6%
Q1 25
16.5%
18.1%
Q4 24
21.6%
14.2%
Q3 24
13.6%
9.6%
Q2 24
9.9%
10.2%
EPS (diluted)
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$0.72
$6.41
Q3 25
$0.62
$3.38
Q2 25
$0.35
$2.38
Q1 25
$1.25
$3.65
Q4 24
$1.31
$3.88
Q3 24
$0.76
$1.96
Q2 24
$0.52
$1.97

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$1.4B
Total Assets
$2.6B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$8.8M
Q3 25
$6.2M
Q2 25
$2.9M
Q1 25
$56.0M
Q4 24
$4.3M
Q3 24
$2.5M
Q2 24
$6.4M
Total Debt
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$3.3B
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
$3.0B
Q3 24
Q2 24
Stockholders' Equity
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$2.9B
$1.4B
Q3 25
$2.9B
$1.3B
Q2 25
$2.9B
$1.2B
Q1 25
$2.9B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$2.9B
$1.2B
Q3 24
$2.8B
$1.2B
Q2 24
$2.8B
$1.1B
Total Assets
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$8.5B
$2.6B
Q3 25
$8.3B
$2.2B
Q2 25
$8.1B
$2.0B
Q1 25
$8.1B
$1.8B
Q4 24
$8.0B
$2.3B
Q3 24
$7.9B
$2.0B
Q2 24
$7.7B
$1.9B
Debt / Equity
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
1.14×
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
1.05×
Q3 24
Q2 24

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$729.8M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
6.40×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$56.2M
$729.8M
Q3 25
$126.7M
$31.9M
Q2 25
$58.2M
$32.1M
Q1 25
$153.4M
$-207.2M
Q4 24
$62.8M
$163.8M
Q3 24
$120.0M
$80.1M
Q2 24
$62.3M
$266.5M
Free Cash Flow
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$-93.7M
Q3 25
$-26.9M
Q2 25
$-70.6M
Q1 25
$61.3M
Q4 24
$-85.9M
Q3 24
$-33.2M
Q2 24
$-76.3M
FCF Margin
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
-22.6%
Q3 25
-6.9%
Q2 25
-20.6%
Q1 25
13.1%
Q4 24
-23.0%
Q3 24
-9.6%
Q2 24
-23.9%
Capex Intensity
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
36.2%
Q3 25
39.7%
Q2 25
37.6%
Q1 25
19.7%
Q4 24
39.8%
Q3 24
44.4%
Q2 24
43.3%
Cash Conversion
NWE
NWE
PIPR
PIPR
Q1 26
Q4 25
1.26×
6.40×
Q3 25
3.31×
0.53×
Q2 25
2.74×
0.76×
Q1 25
1.99×
-3.19×
Q4 24
0.78×
2.37×
Q3 24
2.56×
2.30×
Q2 24
1.97×
7.66×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

NWE
NWE

Electric$362.1M73%
Gas$135.5M27%

PIPR
PIPR

Advisory Services$402.6M60%
Equities Financing$66.7M10%
Equity Salesand Trading$64.2M10%
Fixed Income Salesand Trading$47.9M7%
Other$46.7M7%
Debt Financing$38.9M6%

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