Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

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

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

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northwest Natural Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 44.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Down 0.6%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.93. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.72.

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.