Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Receives $41.40 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the four analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.40.

NWN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Northwest Natural from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northwest Natural

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the first quarter worth about $32,000. CWM LLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 686.5% during the first 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. acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural during the first quarter worth about $48,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural during the first quarter worth about $93,000. 75.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Stock Down 1.1 %

NWN stock opened at $35.72 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Northwest Natural has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $44.90.

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). Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm had revenue of $433.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northwest Natural will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.488 per share. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is 85.53%.

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.