NWE vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about NorthWestern Corporation (NWE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993.

Performance

NWE vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in NorthWestern Corporation (NWE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NWE vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NWE NorthWestern Corporation	3.20%	26.40%	10.51%	-10.12%	8.49%	2.10%	-15.15%	24.50%	3.52%	8.74%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-4.37%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-18.18%	28.73%	18.33%	31.22%	-4.57%	21.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NWE achieves a 3.20% return, which is significantly higher than SPY's -4.37% return. Over the past 10 years, NWE has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 4.84%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 13.98% annualized return.

NWE

• 1D: 0.17%
• 1M: -4.80%
• YTD: 3.20%
• 6M: 14.75%
• 1Y: 19.07%
• 3Y*: 9.52%
• 5Y*: 5.04%
• 10Y*: 4.84%

SPY

• 1D: 2.91%
• 1M: -4.94%
• YTD: -4.37%
• 6M: -1.82%
• 1Y: 17.59%
• 3Y*: 18.19%
• 5Y*: 11.69%
• 10Y*: 13.98%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

NWE vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

NWE

NWE Risk / Return Rank: 69
NWE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 73
NWE Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
NWE Omega Ratio Rank: 64
NWE Calmar Ratio Rank: 72
NWE Martin Ratio Rank: 71

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 64
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 75

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

NWE vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for NorthWestern Corporation (NWE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	NWE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.95	0.93	+0.02
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.43	1.45	-0.03
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.22	-0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.57	1.53	+0.05
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.60	7.30	-3.70
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NWE vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NWE Sharpe Ratio is 0.95, which is comparable to the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.93. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NWE and SPY, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	NWE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.95	0.93	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.24	0.69	-0.44
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.20	0.78	-0.58
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.38	0.56	-0.18

Correlation

The correlation between NWE and SPY is 0.43, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

NWE vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

NWE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.02%, more than SPY's 1.14% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NWE NorthWestern Corporation	4.02%	4.09%	4.86%	5.03%	4.25%	4.34%	4.12%	3.21%	3.70%	3.52%	3.52%	3.54%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.14%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

NWE vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NWE drawdown since its inception was -39.34%, smaller than the maximum SPY drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NWE and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	NWE	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-39.34%	-55.19%	+15.85%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.55%	-12.05%	-1.50%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-26.14%	-24.50%	-1.64%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-39.34%	-33.72%	-5.62%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.07%	-6.24%	-0.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.85%	-9.09%	-1.76%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.93%	2.52%	+3.41%

Volatility

NWE vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

NorthWestern Corporation (NWE) has a higher volatility of 7.11% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.31%. This indicates that NWE's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NWE	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.11%	5.31%	+1.80%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.57%	9.47%	+5.10%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.26%	19.05%	+1.21%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.72%	17.06%	+3.66%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	24.59%	17.92%	+6.67%