Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) hit a new 52-week high on Monday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $53.66 and last traded at $52.77, with a volume of 45745 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $53.04.

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

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.0%. Northwest Natural Gas’s payout ratio is currently 70.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northwest Natural Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Northwest Natural Gas in the third quarter valued at $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 44.3% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

About Northwest Natural Gas

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.