Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the four research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.20.

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Northwest Natural in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWN opened at $36.13 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 0.57. Northwest Natural has a 12 month low of $34.95 and a 12 month high of $48.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $36.67 and its 200 day moving average is $37.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $355.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.78 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 7.52% and a net margin of 7.84%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Northwest Natural will post 2.29 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.488 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.40%. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is 75.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 8.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,581 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 80.0% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 234,887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,149,000 after acquiring an additional 104,423 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 20.5% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 6,526 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 464,297 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,014,000 after acquiring an additional 7,071 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.0% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

About Northwest Natural

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.