Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Reaches New 52-Week Low at $36.00

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $36.00 and last traded at $36.00, with a volume of 18530 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NWN. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Northwest Natural in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. TheStreet lowered shares of Northwest Natural from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural from $42.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural from $52.00 to $45.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.75.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $38.71 and its 200 day moving average is $41.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 3rd. The utilities provider reported ($0.65) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.67) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $141.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.35 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 7.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.56) EPS. Analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 31st will be issued a $0.488 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 30th. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.39%. This is an increase from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is currently 70.91%.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 185.7% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 820 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors own 73.88% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The company operates Mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities and third-party marketers; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.