Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Sets New 52-Week High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $53.66 and last traded at $52.77, with a volume of 45745 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.04.

The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $394.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $419.36 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.97 dividend. This is a boost from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Northwest Natural Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Northwest Natural Gas from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWN. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 266,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,974,000 after buying an additional 66,630 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas in the second quarter valued at $322,000. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 577.6% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 266,698 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,593,000 after purchasing an additional 227,336 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 139,242 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,256,000 after purchasing an additional 30,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 738.4% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 72,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,239,000 after buying an additional 63,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.54.

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE: NWN), commonly known as NW Natural, is a publicly traded energy utility primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company operates an extensive pipeline network spanning thousands of miles across Oregon and southwest Washington. Its core business activities include gas procurement, system operation and maintenance, safety inspections and customer service support.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, Northwest Natural traces its origins to the Portland Gas Light Company, which first illuminated Portland streets with manufactured gas in 1859.