Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.40.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NWN shares. StockNews.com upgraded Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. CWM LLC boosted 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Northwest Natural in the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter worth about $93,000. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

NWN stock opened at $36.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Northwest Natural has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.90.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced 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 net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The business had revenue of $433.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. Northwest Natural’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were paid a $0.488 dividend. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is 85.53%.

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.