StockNews.com Upgrades Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) to “Hold”

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northwest Natural presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.40.

Northwest Natural Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NWN stock opened at $34.96 on Friday. Northwest Natural has a 1 year low of $34.82 and a 1 year high of $44.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.33 and a beta of 0.57.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $433.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northwest Natural will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWN. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 686.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth about $93,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% 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, 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.