Northwestern Mutual Achieves Highest Financial Strength Ratings for 35th Consecutive Year with $42 Billion Surplus
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 31 2025
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Source: Yahoo Finance
- Exceptional Financial Strength: Northwestern Mutual has earned the highest financial strength ratings from all four major rating agencies for 35 consecutive years, with a surplus of $42 billion, underscoring its leading position and stability in the industry.
- Strong Investment Liquidity: With an average monthly investable cash flow of $2.5 billion, the company can strategically invest during market fluctuations to pursue higher returns, enhancing long-term value for clients.
- Dividend Innovation: Projected dividends for 2026 are set to reach $9.2 billion, with a nearly $2.4 billion increase over the past three years, marking the largest growth in company and industry history, thereby increasing client appeal.
- Optimized Asset Allocation: With a total investment portfolio exceeding $335 billion, approximately 50% is allocated to illiquid assets, which are expected to yield higher long-term returns than liquid assets, thereby strengthening the company's financial stability.
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Analyst Views on NML
Wall Street analysts forecast NML stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for NML is USD with a low forecast of USD and a high forecast of USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
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About NML
Neuberger Berman Energy Infrastructure and Income Fund Inc. (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s investment objective is to seek a total return with an emphasis on cash distributions. Under normal market conditions, the Fund may invest at least 80% of its total assets in U.S. and non-U.S. equity or fixed income securities of energy infrastructure companies. The Fund’s energy infrastructure companies include Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and limited liability companies taxed as partnerships, MLP affiliates, YieldCos, pipeline companies, utilities, C corporations and other companies that operate within the oil and gas storage, transportation, refining, marketing, equipment and services, drilling, exploration or production sub-industries. The Fund's investment manager is Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Neuberger Energy Fund Declares Monthly Distribution
- Distribution Declaration: Neuberger Energy Infrastructure and Income Fund has announced a monthly distribution of $0.0584 per share, payable on February 27, 2026, with a record and ex-date of February 17, 2026, which is expected to bolster investor confidence and attract more capital inflows.
- Cash Flow Sources: The Fund intends to fund its regular distributions from distributable cash flow, primarily derived from cash and paid-in-kind distributions from master limited partnerships, dividends from common stocks, interest from debt instruments, and other investment income, ensuring sustainability and stability of distributions.
- Return of Capital Explanation: A portion of the distributions is expected to constitute a non-taxable return of capital, meaning that shareholders' investment basis will be reduced, potentially increasing capital gains or reducing capital losses upon sale of shares, which helps optimize shareholders' tax burdens.
- Tax Implications: The Fund is subject to federal income tax on its taxable income, which will reduce the amount available for shareholder distributions, leading to potentially lower distributions for investors compared to direct investments in MLPs, a tax structure that may affect investors' return expectations.
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Neuberger Energy Infrastructure Fund Declares $0.0584 Per Share Distribution
- Distribution Announcement: Neuberger Energy Infrastructure Fund has declared a distribution of $0.0584 per share of common stock, payable on January 30, 2026, with a record and ex-date of January 15, 2026, reflecting the Fund's commitment to ongoing shareholder returns.
- Cash Flow Sources: The Fund intends to make regular monthly distributions from its distributable cash flow, primarily derived from cash distributions from master limited partnerships, common stock dividends, and other investment income, ensuring stability and sustainability of payouts.
- Return of Capital Explanation: A portion of the distributions will be classified as a non-taxable return of capital, meaning that shareholders' investment basis will be reduced, potentially increasing capital gains or reducing capital losses upon sale, which is significant for investors' tax planning.
- Tax Implications: The Fund is subject to federal income tax on its taxable income, which may result in lower distributions to shareholders compared to direct investments in MLPs, highlighting the importance for investors to consider tax consequences.
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