Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.40.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE NWN opened at $36.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84 and a beta of 0.57. Northwest Natural has a one year low of $34.82 and a one year high of $44.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.33.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.13). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $433.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Northwest Natural will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NWN. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 686.5% in the 1st 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. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the first quarter worth $48,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural during the first quarter worth $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.