Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.40.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Northwest Natural in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWN. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the 4th quarter valued at $8,569,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 23.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 910,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,760,000 after acquiring an additional 174,587 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 2,752.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 172,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 166,062 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 26.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 362,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,823,000 after acquiring an additional 74,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the first quarter valued at about $2,619,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NWN opened at $38.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.75 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.15 and its 200-day moving average is $37.51. Northwest Natural has a 12 month low of $34.95 and a 12 month high of $47.29.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $433.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.81 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 7.84%. Northwest Natural’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Northwest Natural will post 2.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.488 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.00%.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the United States. The company operates a mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities, third-party marketers, and electric generators; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.